3 June 2014

Obama pledges to support moderate Syrian rebels

On 28 May, at the United States Military Academy at West Point, president Barack Obama pledged to build up military support with equipment and training to moderate Syrian rebel groups. The proposal still needs to be approved by Congress, but a senior administration official said that ‘what we’re saying today … is not only do we want to continue to increase the assistance that we provide to the Syrian opposition, but we do want to have this discussion with Congress about the potential for there to be a role for the US military in that effort.’

The US already provides limited, non-lethal military assistance to the Syrian opposition, but it has not revealed how much. According to officials, the assistance would include sending a limited number of US troops to Jordan to take part in a regional training mission for Syrian opposition forces. The mission would be coordinated by the US, but would also involve regional actors that are already assisting the rebels, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

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Source: Reuters | U.S. pledge of support for Syria's moderate rebels in early stages – official
Source: The Guardian | US nears decision on training Syrian rebels
Source: The Wall Street Journal | Obama Close to Authorizing Military Training of Syrian Rebels

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