Although Israel ordered civilians in Rafah to evacuate, charity organisations say no real plan for their move is in place
mena2 hours ago
Syrian rebels attend a training session in Maaret Ikhwan near Idlib, Syria. - AP file
Washington - The US military's programme to train and equip thousands of moderate Syrian rebels is faltering, with fewer than 100 volunteers, raising questions about whether the effort can produce enough capable fighters quickly enough to make a difference in the war against the extremist Daesh group.
The stated US goal is to train and equip 5,400 rebels per year, and military officials said last week that they still hope for 3,000 by year's end. Privately, they acknowledge the trend is moving in the wrong direction.
On June 26, 2014, the White House said it was asking Congress for $500 million for a three-year train-and-equip programme. The training, however, only got started in May after months of recruiting and vetting of volunteers.
That programme, together with a more advanced but also troubled parallel effort to rebuild the Iraqi army, is central to the US-led effort to create ground forces capable of fighting Daesh without involving US ground combat troops.
The Syria initiative is intended to enable moderate opposition forces to defend their own towns against the Daesh militants, not to form a national resistance army. Expectations for the Iraqis are much higher; the goal is to have them roll back Daesh and restore the Iraq-Syria border.
The main problem thus far has been finding enough Syrian recruits untainted by extremist affiliations or disqualified by physical or other flaws. Of approximately 6,000 volunteers, about 1,500 have passed muster and await movement to training camps in other countries. Citing security concerns, the Pentagon will not say exactly how many are in training. Officials said that as of Friday, the number in training had dropped below 100 and that none has completed the programme. Dozens who were initially accepted have been sent home during training or quit because of revelations about their background or other problems, according to two senior US defense officials. They were not authorized to discuss details and spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We have set the bar very high on vetting," said Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.
Maj-Gen. Michael Nagata, the Central Command special operations commander who is heading the programme, wants volunteers with more than a will to fight.
"We are trying to recruit and identify people who ... can be counted on ... to fight, to have the right mindset and ideology," and at the same time be willing to make combating IS their first priority, Defence Secretary Ash Carter told the House Armed Services Committee on June 17. "It turns out to be very hard to identify people who meet both of those criteria," Carter said.
Many Syrian rebel volunteers prefer to use their training to fight the government of President Bashar Assad, the original target of their revolution. While Daesh has been a brutal occupant of much of their country, the rebels see the extremists as fighting a parallel war.
Jennifer Cafarella, a Syria analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, doubts the viability of the training programme.
"It is simply difficult to acquire the number of Syrian rebels willing to participate in the training under current parameters," she said.
Although Israel ordered civilians in Rafah to evacuate, charity organisations say no real plan for their move is in place
mena2 hours ago
On Sunday, the final day of the adult competition, the UAE national team delivered a stellar performance, adding seven more medals to their tally
sports2 hours ago
Report says MAI-1 will be "far larger" than the previous smaller, open source models Microsoft had previously trained
tech2 hours ago
Country is showcasing its attractions at ATM
business3 hours ago
The turmoil on campuses has prompted several colleges and universities across the US to relocate, modify, or cancel commencement ceremonies altogether
world3 hours ago
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to send ground troops into Rafah regardless of any truce, defying international concerns
mena3 hours ago
The former president was fined for the 10th time over violating an order that bars him from making comments about jurors, witnesses and families of the judge
americas3 hours ago
Art curator Carlo Garrido's latest exhibition at World Art Dubai brought together artists on the spectrum to celebrate their work on a global platform
arts3 hours ago