WASHINGTON DC - In a major shift in its troubled Syrian “equip and train program,” the Pentagon on Friday announced it will work with certain rebel groups, providing them with equipment and weapons to counter the Islamic State group, known as ISIS or ISIL.
“Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is now directing the Department of Defense to provide equipment packages and weapons to a select group of vetted leaders and their units so that over time they can make a concerted push into territory still controlled by ISIL,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.
“We will monitor the progress these groups make and provide them with air support as they take the fight to ISIL. This focus on equipping and enabling will allow us to reinforce the progress already made in countering ISIL in Syria,” he added.
Last year Congress approved $500 million to train and equip “moderate” Syrian rebels to fight and weaken ISIS in Syria. But the program fell apart after US-trained rebels handed over their weapons and trucks to the al-Nusra Front, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, as soon as they crossed into Syria from Turkey.
Abandoning the program indicates the serious challenges faced by the US coalition forces to finding reliable and trustworthy Arab fighters that would be willing to engage the Islamic groups in Syria.
US lawmakers have constantly criticized the administration of President Barack Obama, accusing it of mishandling the anti-ISIS war -- in particular the train and equip program.
Cook said that the shift does not imply Washington’s unwillingness to support other ground forces that have been fighting ISIS successfully.
The premise of President Obama’s anti-ISIS strategy has been based on relying on willing local forces to fight ISIS. However, only Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and a small number of other opposition groups have been found reliable and effective.
Pentagon chief Ashton Carter asserted Washington’s policy of depending on such forces to move ahead, believing it will lead to defeating ISIL, Pentagon’s preferred acronym for the Islamic State.
“I remain convinced that a lasting defeat of ISIL in Syria will depend in part on the success of local, motivated and capable ground forces," Carter said. "I believe the changes we are instituting today will, over time, increase the combat power of counter-ISIL forces in Syria and ultimately help our campaign achieve a lasting defeat of ISIL."
Carter noted that “working with local partners to win back territory taken by ISIL will continue to be a long and arduous process,” adding that the Pentagon will continue to reassess and adjust its strategy over time.
