By Brian Murphy and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post–
The Pentagon plans to announce significant roll backs in the U.S. program to train and arm rebel factions in Syria, possibly shifting to more contacts with Kurdish forces that have battled the Islamic State, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday.
The change reflects widespread concerns over failures to mobilize a credible U.S.-backed fighting force among so-called moderate rebels opposing the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is now supported by Russian military power.
Speaking in London, Carter said the United States was “devising a new approach” on the program to “train and equip” Syrian rebels in the more than four-year civil war. He did not give additional details, saying that an announcement was expected later in Washington.
U.S. officials have previously suggested that focus should move to aiding established Kurdish forces and other factions rather than trying to build up separate U.S.-aided units.
At the same time, a U.S.-led coalition has waged airstrikes since last year on Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq. Following Russia’s military intervention, U.S. officials seek a framework with Moscow to avoid potential conflicts during their separate airstrike missions.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking condition anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, said the program is not being abandoned or ended completely.
“It’s being refocused to enhance its effectiveness,” the official said. “It’s being refocused in a new direction.”
The scaled-back training program was proposed by the U.S. Central Command last month, and was approved by President Obama in meetings with his top national security staff late last week.
The other changes approved at the time included the direct U.S. provision of arms and equipment shipments to Syrian Kurdish and Arab rebels who have successfully pushed Islamic State fighters from the Syria-Turkey border east of the Euphrates River, and a stepped up air campaign along the border west of the Euphrates.
The western Syria plans, with U.S. and coalition flights flying from Turkey’s Incirlik air base, have since been called into question by Russian bombing in adjacent areas.
Last week, acknowledged the train-and-equip effort “has not worked the way it was supposed to.”
“And part of the reason, frankly, is because when we tried to get them to just focus on ISIL,” said Obama, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State.
“The response we’d get back is, ‘How can we focus on ISIL when every single day we’re having barrel bombs and attacks from the
Craig Whitlock in London contributed to this report.
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