Obama Drops Syria Training Plan, Shifts to Equipping Fighters
- Faltering plan to train, equip rebels has had few results
- Carter cites assistance to Kurdish groups as a model
Syrian rebels attack Syrian regime forces in Aleppo, Syria.
Photographer: Saleh Mahmoud Laila/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The Obama administration is abandoning its failed attempt to build and train a rebel force in Syria to take on Islamic State and will focus on equipping selected leaders and providing air support to their units.
The change is a recognition that President Barack Obama’s original plan to train thousands of moderate fighters fell short, producing only a handful of rebels to combat the terror group. The U.S. instead will identify leaders in the region and provide their forces with arms and other support short of missile launchers or anti-tank weapons.