Rebel training program in Syria yields '4 or 5' fighters

[Hindustani78]

By Leo Shane III, Staff writer 2:14 p.m. EDT September 16, 2015
Rebel training program in Syria yields '4 or 5' fighters

Nine months into an effort to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels to fight against Islamic State militants, U.S. defense officials acknowledged that they have only "four or five" on the battlefield now and only a few dozen more on the way.

The statement drew gasps and laughs of horror from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, and a swift indictment of President Obama's foreign policy from several Republicans on the panel.

It also raised questions about the future role of U.S. troops in the region, both those training the Syrian forces and those working with Iraqi troops on trying to prevent ISIS militants from overthrowing their war-torn country.

"We need forward air controllers to add precision and lethality to our air campaign. We need to make significant changes in order to improve and rapidly expand our training of Syrian and Iraqi forces," said committee chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. "The fact is that we will likely need additional U.S. special forces and military advisers to be successful."

About 3,500 American troops are deployed to Iraq. White House and Pentagon officials repeatedly have promised not to put those troops directly on the battlefield, and argued that local forces must push back the insurgent fighters to ensure long-term security in the region.

But McCain and other panel members called those plans so far a "total failure" that administration officials cannot continue to ignore. Officials had originally hoped to train up to 5,000 Syrian rebels by the end of the year.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Christine Wormuth acknowledged that "there have been setbacks along the way" in the U.S. response in the region, but insisted that "progress has been slow but steady."

Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III, chief of U.S Central Command, sidestepped comments made earlier this month from outgoing Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Martin Dempsey that the fight against ISIS has become a stalemate, noting that "setbacks are to be expected in the early stages of the fight."

Both sets of comments drew blistering criticism from senators, who said predictions of a years-long fight with incremental progress make the positive assessments appear delusional. U.S. airstrikes began in the region nearly 13 months ago.

Wednesday's hearing was held against the backdrop of a Pentagon's inspector general investigation into whistleblower claims that CENTCOM officials have doctored intelligence assessments to present a more positive picture of progress in the region.

McCain said his committee will conduct its own investigation into the claims, which threaten to undermine the Pentagon's credibility and public support for the military mission.

Austin denied any such meddling on his part, and promised an internal review to assess the problem. But he also repeated claims of signs of progress in Iraq, and rebuffed lawmakers' suggestions that a radical policy change is needed to win the fight.

"So, basically you're telling us everything is fine … as we see thousands of refugees flee, as we see 250,000 Syrians slaughtered in the war," McCain responded. "I've never seen testimony as divorced from the reality of every outside expert as this."

 

[ultron]

The problem with these secular rebels is they are not brave. They have terrible performance in southern Syria and always get pummeled by the equally atrocious SAA.

 

[RazorMC]

...
Nine months into an effort to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels to fight against Islamic State militants, U.S. defense officials acknowledged that they have only "four or five" on the battlefield now and only a few dozen more on the way.
...

Is it four or five?

Or maybe the fifth one is already retiring at the end of his training.

 

[Dalit]

Nothing good can ever come from interference. American hasn't learnt a thing from past experience.

 

[Hindustani78]

The problem with these secular rebels is they are not brave. They have terrible performance in southern Syria and always get pummeled by the equally atrocious SAA.

I think they are waiting for the right time and holding thier strong holds because International pressure is building up against President Assad. Russian Federation is more openly backing Baath party in Syria which means that Baath party members will even get Russian Intelligence. Its becoming more clearer that Russian Federation and Iran are backing Baath party.

Russian top diplomat proposed Assad exit: Negotiator | Zee News
Former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, who was involved in back-channel talks with UN Security Council members, said Vitaly Churkin, a trusted Kremlin insider, met with him privately and suggested finding "an elegant way for Assad to step aside".

"He said three things: One -- we should not give arms to the opposition. Two -- we should get a dialogue going between the opposition and Assad straight away. Three -- we should find an elegant way for Assad to step aside," Ahtisaari told Britain`s Guardian daily.

"I think it is true that the general feeling was Assad wouldn`t be able to hold out," he said. "But I don`t see why that should have led to a decision to ignore an offer by the Russians.

"The weakest point is Ahtisaari`s claim that Churkin was speaking with Moscow`s authority," he added, saying he would have "wanted to hear it from (Russia President Vladimir) Putin".

"Even then I`d have wanted to be sure it wasn`t a Putin trick."

U.N. chief says Russia military support will worsen Syrian war| Reuters
Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:49pm EDT
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday that Russian military support for the Syrian government would only worsen the country's more than four year civil war.

When asked about Russia's military support, Ban said: "There is no military solution, I'm concerned about the parties providing arms. This kind of situation will only help the situation going worse and worse, deteriorate."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols)

 

[Dr.Thrax]

The problem with these secular rebels is they are not brave. They have terrible performance in southern Syria and always get pummeled by the equally atrocious SAA.

Superboy said this exactly. Please report @ultron for alternate accounts.

 

[Metanoia]

The problem with these secular rebels is they are not brave. They have terrible performance in southern Syria and always get pummeled by the equally atrocious SAA.

Brother mashallah...you've hit the halal nail on the head!

They need the power of the imaan. Also they're fighting with guns, which is a kafir invention therefore there is no baraka (blessing) in their fights. They should use swords and shields to wage a proper faith based fight.

 

[Hindustani78]

4 more U.S.-backed fighters enter Syria, making 9 total

The size of the American-trained force fighting Islamic State militants in Syria roughly doubled this week and now totals nine fighters, a defense official said.

The Pentagon's Syria train-and-equip program was widely maligned this week after the head of U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, testified on Capitol Hill that there were only "four or five" American-trained fighters in Syria.

On Friday, a CENTCOM official said that an additional team of four new fighters has recently entered Syria to join the fight.

"There is actually a total of nine now currently active in Syria," Air Force Col. Pat Ryder told reporters.

Moreover, there are another 11 fighters that have undergone the American-led training program and are officially members of the so-called New Syrian Forces, but are not yet in Syria.

"So 20 NSF fighters are part of the program," Ryder said.

Congress last year authorized the military to spend up to $500 million to train and equip a force of moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State. Initially the goal was to train more than 5,000 fighters by the end of this year.

The initial batch of fighters was 54, but more than half are gone. Ryder provided an accounting of those 34 fighters who are no longer part of the U.S.-trained team:

• One fighter was most likely killed in action.
• One fighter is a captive of the al-Qaida affiliate known as al-Nusra.
• 18 of the fighters are probably in Syria but are missing, and "their whereabouts are unknown," Ryder said.
• 14 fighters quit the New Syrian Forces program and rejoined their original rebel groups.

The new equipment provided to the fighters, including small arms, pickup trucks and mounted artillery, is all accounted for despite the apparent desertions, Ryder said.

There are about 100 fighters who are in the American-run training pipeline in neighboring countries, Ryder said.

 

[Hindustani78]

Syrian monitor: 75 U.S.-trained Syrian rebels enter Syria - The Hindu
Updated: September 20, 2015 16:39 IST

Seventy five Syrian rebels trained by the United States and its allies to fight Islamic State have entered northern Syria since Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Observatory, said the rebels had crossed into Syria from Turkey with 12 vehicles equipped with machine guns.

A top U.S. general told Congress on Wednesday that only four or five Syrian rebels trained under the programme aimed at fighting Islamic State were still fighting in Syria.

The U.S. military began training in May for up to 5,400 fighters a year, in what was seen as a test of President Barack Obama's strategy of having local partners combat Islamic State militants and keep U.S. troops off the front lines.

 

[type93]

No one wants to be pawns for the neo Ottoman Empire's plan to gobble up Aleppo.

 

[Indika]

And guess what we should believe this news rt ? Who is supporting ISIS then?

 

[Hindustani78]

Pentagon to change training programme for Syrian rebels - The Hindu
Updated: October 9, 2015 19:37 IST

U.S. officials have previously described an overhaul of the military’s failed effort to train thousands of moderate Syrian rebels to fight the IS
Defence Secretary Ash Carter says the U.S. will announce changes to the Syrian training programme within hours, saying the U.S. wants to focus efforts on working with capable Kurdish and other forces in Syria.

Mr. Carter was speaking at a press conference in London. He says the work the U.S. has done with the Kurds is a good example of an effective approach with a capable, motivated ground combat force. But he didn’t give more details.

U.S. officials have previously described an overhaul of the military’s failed effort to train thousands of moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State group. It would focus more on embedding recruits with established Kurdish and Arab units, rather than sending them directly into front-line combat.

 

[rubyjackass]

Syrian monitor: 75 U.S.-trained Syrian rebels enter Syria - The Hindu
Updated: September 20, 2015 16:39 IST

Seventy five Syrian rebels trained by the United States and its allies to fight Islamic State have entered northern Syria since Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Observatory, said the rebels had crossed into Syria from Turkey with 12 vehicles equipped with machine guns.

A top U.S. general told Congress on Wednesday that only four or five Syrian rebels trained under the programme aimed at fighting Islamic State were still fighting in Syria.

The U.S. military began training in May for up to 5,400 fighters a year, in what was seen as a test of President Barack Obama's strategy of having local partners combat Islamic State militants and keep U.S. troops off the front lines.

OMFG!! I thought that the report was a satire. They actually have only 9 fighters tops in Syria!!

 

[Hindustani78]

OMFG!! I thought that the report was a satire. They actually have only 9 fighters tops in Syria!!

U.S. pulls plug on Syria rebel training effort; will focus on weapons supply| Reuters

The United States will largely abandon its failed efforts to train moderate Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State, and instead provide arms and equipment directly to rebel leaders and their units on the battlefield, the Obama administration said on Friday.

The U.S. announcement marked the effective end to a short-lived $580 million program to train and equip units of fighters at sites outside of Syria, after its disastrous launch this year fanned criticism of President Barack Obama's war strategy.

The Pentagon said it would shift its focus away from training to providing weapons and other equipment to rebel groups whose leaders have passed a U.S. vetting process to ensure they are not linked to militant Islamist groups.

The strategy switch comes as the Obama administration grapples with a dramatic change in the landscape in Syria's four-year-old civil war, brought about by Russia's military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow's intervention has cast doubt on Obama's strategy there and raised questions about U.S. influence in the region.

Washington's announcement came as Islamic State fighters seized villages close to the northern city of Aleppo from rival insurgents, according to a monitoring group, despite an intensified Russian campaign.

Moscow is mounting air strikes and missile attacks that it says are aimed both at supporting its longtime ally Assad and combating Islamic State. Washington says Russian air strikes in Syria are targeted primarily not at Islamic State but at other rebel groups, including those that have received U.S. support.

Obama has previously questioned the notion that arming rebels would change the course of Syria's war. In an interview with the New York Times in August 2014, he said the idea that arming the moderate Syrian opposition would make a big difference on the battlefield had "always been a fantasy."

By vetting only rebel commanders, the new U.S. policy could raise the risk that American-supplied arms could fall into the hands of individual fighters who are anti-Western.

Christine Wormuth, the Pentagon's No. 3 civilian official, said however that the United States had "pretty high confidence" in the Syrian rebels it would supply, and that the equipment would not include "higher end" arms such as anti-tank rockets and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft rockets.

The Pentagon will provide "basic kinds of equipment" to leaders of the groups, Wormuth, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, told reporters on a White House conference call.

The Syrian rebel groups that have recently won favor with Washington include Sunni Arabs and Kurds as well as Syrian Christians, U.S. officials have said.

Wormuth defended the Pentagon program launched in May that trained only 60 fighters, falling far short of the original goal of 5,400 and so working out at a cost so far of nearly $10 million per trained fighter.

"I don't think at all this was a case of poor execution," Wormuth said. "It was inherently a very, very complex mission,"

Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser, said the new approach showed there had been "deficiencies" in the train-and-equip program that had to be addressed.

When it was launched, the program was seen as a test of Obama's strategy of having local partners combat Islamic State militants and keeping U.S. troops off the front lines. But the program was troubled from the start, with some of the first class of fighters coming under attack from al Qaeda's Syria wing, Nusra Front, in their battlefield debut.

The Pentagon confirmed last month that a group of U.S.-trained Syrian rebels had handed over ammunition and equipment to Nusra Front, purportedly in exchange for safe passage.

PROBLEMS RECRUITING

The administration has acknowledged that its efforts to attract recruits have struggled because the program was solely authorized to fight Islamic State, rather than Assad.

"No one in Syria is going to just fight ISIL ... it's doomed to fail with these restrictions," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on MSNBC, using an acronym for Islamic State. Graham has been a leading critic of the Syria policy of Obama, a Democrat.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement that the plan was to supply rebel groups so that they could "make a concerted push into territory still controlled by ISIL."

The United States would also provide air support to rebels as they battle Islamic State, Cook said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in the statement he believed the changes would "over time, increase the combat power of counter-ISIL forces in Syria."

U.S. support would now focus on weapons, communications gear and ammunition, another Pentagon official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding the re-envisioned program would start in "days." The official declined to say how many Syrian rebel leaders would be trained.

Another U.S. official said the new weapons supplies could eventually be channeled through vetted commanders to thousands of fighters, but declined to be more specific about the numbers.

The Pentagon did not name which groups would receive support.

Reuters reported last week that the Obama administration was considering extending support to thousands of Syrian rebel fighters, including along a stretch of the Turkey-Syria border, as part of the revamped approach to Syria.

The United States would also support members of the Syrian Arab Coalition, under that plan.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to London, Carter said the new U.S. effort would seek to enable Syrian rebels in much the way the United States had helped Kurdish forces to successfully battle Islamic State in Syria.

After Islamic State's brutal offensive through northern Iraq in June 2014, Obama asked Congress for an initial $500 million to "train and equip" Syria's opposition fighters, whom he later described as "the best counterweight" to Islamic State militants and a key pillar in his campaign to defeat them.

(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Roberta Rampton, Idrees Ali, Matt Spetalnick and Warren Strobel.; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Frances Kerry)

 

[Hindustani78]

Syrian tribal rebels say U.S. arms deliveries on their way | Reuters

Syrian Arab rebels have been told by Washington that new weapons were on their way to help them launch a joint offensive with their Kurdish allies on the city of Raqqa, held by Islamic State fighters, a spokesman for the rebels said on Monday.

"We met the Americans and this has been approved and we have been told these new arms, including qualitative weapons, are on their way," said Abu Muazz, a spokesman for the Raqqa Revolutionaries Front, a grouping of mainly Arab tribal insurgents who are mostly drawn from the Raqqa area.

The Arab fighters are part of a new alliance including the Kurdish YPG militia which was announced on Monday, under the banner of the Democratic Forces of Syria. The YPG militia, backed by Arab rebels, drove Islamic State from wide areas of northern Syria earlier this year.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Dominic Evans)