The US has decided to provide its “moderate” rebel ground force in Syria with armored pickup trucks, machine guns and communication tools for calling in US airstrikes, under a new plan that Washington is pursuing in order to curb the ISIS threat it helped create.
RT reports: Moderate fighters are to receive Toyota Hi-Lux pickups with machine guns with GPS devices to help the US-led bombing mission coordinate strikes against the jihadi militants, The Wall Street Journal reported, stressing that the final decision to provide air support to the rebels hasn’t been made.
Based on information from several sources, the publication states the plan is part of a “train-and-equip” program that is due to begin next month and will mark the first time Washington has openly armed the rebels. The Pentagon hopes to outmaneuver ISIS in the region by providing the rebels with “superior” training and air support capabilities.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
Based on the experience of the Kobani campaign last year, where rebels called in American B-1B bombers for help, officials hope the strategy will succeed. “The way we envision it, it would be very similar to Kobani,” said a senior military official.
The US planes would drop 500- and 2,000-pound guided bombs on moving targets, such as tanks, using the B-1’s sniper pod.
WSJ however questions the possible success of such a decision, as officials believe that moderate rebels will not outnumber the IS forces. Officials also point out that rebels could use their newly gained capabilities to call out strikes against President Assad’s forces.
“I would say it is more of a PR thing than part of a sustained campaign,” James Carafano, a defense analyst at the Heritage Foundation said of the potential campaign.
The US-led mission to train Syrian rebels is expected to start as early as March. The Pentagon, which said it plans to train 5,000 Syrian fighters a year for three years, foresees the first batch of 3,000 US-trained rebels returning to Syria around the end of 2015, Rear Admiral John Kirby told Reuters.
US government databases and regional ones will be used to perform background checks on candidates.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan are offering help with training bases, but Kirby declined to comment further on the choice of sites. “There’s about 1,200 individuals who have been identified for participation – potential participation – in this process and in this program,” he said.
As part of the training mission, teams of four to six rebels will each be given a Toyota pickup and trackers enabling them to call in airstrikes. The fighters will also be given mortars, or even more complex antitank weapons.
So exactly who are the US trained ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels?
Niamh Harris
Be the first to comment