Pentagon: We Found Only 60 ‘Moderate’ Syrian Rebels to Train / Sputnik International

Speaking at the Pentagon on Monday, President Obama reiterated that a successful defeat of IS militants needed local cooperation with ground forces in Syria and Iraq.
“The strong consensus is in order for us to succeed…we have to develop local security forces that can sustain progress.”

 

And so, as part of a broader effort to degrade and ultimately destroy the extremists, the Obama administration has been training and equipping ground forces in Syria and Iraq to combat the terror group, while it leads an airstrike campaign against its territory.

 

“It is going to be vital for us to make sure that we are preparing the kinds of local ground forces and security forces with our partners that can not only succeed ISIL, but then sustain in terms of security and in terms of grievance.”

 

The only problem with this strategy, it seems, is that there simply aren’t enough people for the Pentagon to train. At least not the kind they are looking for.

 

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter publicly admitted that the Pentagon’s training efforts are a far cry away from their stated goal. The initial goal of the program was to train 3,000-5,000 fighters each year. So far, they have only been able to train 60 Syrian rebels.

 

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