US ends Syrian rebel training, the ‘failure’ should be a wake up call for Congress says Barbara Lee
The Obama administration abandoned its efforts to build up a new rebel force inside Syria to combat the Islamic State, acknowledging the failure of its $500 million campaign to train thousands of fighters and announcing that it will instead use the money to provide ammunition and some weapons for groups already engaged in the battle.
donkeyhotey [email protected]
Defense Department training sites across the Middle East, including ones in Turkey and Jordan, will soon suspend almost all operations, officials said. Senior officials at the White House and the Pentagon admitted that the strategy to pull fighters out of Syria, teach them advanced combat skills and return them to face the Islamic State had simply not worked.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement, praising the move.
“I applaud the Obama Administration’s decision to end the Pentagon’s program to train and equip Syrian rebels. More than a year after Congress authorized this program, only a handful of rebels have been trained. The failure of this program should be a wake-up call for Congress: instead of blindly wading further into another war in the Middle East without a debate or comprehensive strategy, we must live up to our constitutional responsibility to hold a full debate on the costs and consequences of military action…”
“It is past time for the United States to stop engaging in military action without a coherent strategy or a full debate in Congress. Before the authorization of this program, I stated that ‘instead of rushing into another war, flooding the region with more weapons, and intervening further in a civil war, Congress should be pressing the pause button.’ In order to fully degrade and dismantle ISIL, we must have a robust and comprehensive strategy that is regionally-led and incorporates the political, economic and diplomatic approaches critical to mission success. My legislation, H.J. Res. 30, provides a framework for such a strategy while repealing the 2001 blank check for endless war.”
Critics have pointed out that arming the rebels has also resulted in supplies falling “into the enemy’s hands” and used against the US campaign. The House vote a year ago was a bipartisan move, supported by both parties and the White House. The US has been working in Jordan to train “rebels” since 2013 and worked closely with the “Free Syria Army” movement.
photo/FreedomHouse via Flickr public domain
[…] Read more at The Global Dispatch Related News Pope Francis: Jesus Christ’s life ended in failure, ‘failure of the cross’ Critics of Pope Francis have been loud and increasing as the remarks of social justice and climate change have excited the leftists in America, the Pope went a step further … READ MORE White House returns to gun control rhetoric, calls for ‘change’ in communication to Congress White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that gun control is still a priority for President Obama in the wake of the Oregon school shooting. He added that there must … READ MORE Oklahoma City rabbi gives High Holy Day call to action regarding Syrian refugees Carla HintonAs the sun set tonight, Sunday, Sept. 13, an Oklahoma City rabbi made a special plea for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year .Rabbi Vered Harris, spiritual leader of … READ MORE Pope Francis speaks before Congress, full transcript Pope Francis challenged the US Congress and America on Thursday to break out of its cycle of paralysis and use its power to heal the “open wounds” of a planet … READ MORE Pope issues call for Congress to renew spirit of cooperation By Chris Casteel Washington Bureau [email protected] — In the first address to Congress by the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis spoke carefully Thursday about divisive social and political … READ MORE New Real Estate Development in Wake Forest The reality is that we live in a society that has become consumed with technology. Mom and dad are guilty of constantly checking social media or reading emails on their … READ MORE Pope Francis to Congress: no religion is free from ‘individual delusion or ideological extremism’ My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of … READ MORE World conference ends with call for all faiths to band together to promote joyful family Lois M. Collins, Deseret NewsRead more on Newsok READ MORE Pope Francis: Jesus Christ’s life ended in failure, White House returns to gun control rhetoric, calls Oklahoma City rabbi gives High Holy Day call Pope Francis speaks before Congress, full transcript Pope issues call for Congress to renew spirit New Real Estate Development in Wake Forest Pope Francis to Congress: no religion is free World conference ends with call for all faiths var hupso_services_c=new Array("twitter","facebook_like","facebook_send","google");var hupso_counters_lang = "en_GB";var hupso_image_folder_url = "";var hupso_url_c="";var hupso_title_c="US ends Syrian rebel training, the ‘failure’ should be a wake up call for Congress says Barbara Lee"; […]