The congresswoman from Hawaii says plan to train and equip moderates has been a “complete and utter failure.”
October 9, 2015 · By Chad Blair
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is not happy with the Obama administration’s policy regarding Syria.
On Friday, the president abandoned efforts to build a rebel force inside Syria to combat the Islamic State — a $500 million failure.
Instead, the White House will try to identify leaders of “capable, indigenous forces” in Syria — “the first time the Pentagon has given military equipment to rebel leaders to distribute to their forces engaged in fighting on the ground,” says The New York Times.
After the news broke, Gabbard issued a statement, which read in part:
“The complete and utter failure of this poorly conceived program was predictable from the start, which is why I spoke out strongly against it, and opposed it when it came before Congress last year. The Administration had no defined objectives, no effective strategy, and no way to ensure that these fighters and the weapons, ammunition, and equipment we provided them would not end up in the hands of ISIS, al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and other Islamic extremist groups who are our enemy.
“Now, rather than end this failed program, the Administration has decided to continue providing equipment to so-called ‘moderate Syrian leaders’ who will give these weapons to whomever they like, increasing the likelihood that American taxpayer-funded weapons and equipment will end up in the hands of our enemy: al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and ISIS, whose goal is to overthrow Assad and establish an Islamic state.”
The latest development comes as Russia has become militarily involved in keeping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power.
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