Congress inches closer to handing Pentagon $350 million for moderate ISIS rebels
(photo by REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., (L) and ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., (R) listen to testimony by US Defense Secretary Ash Carter (C foreground) about operations arming the Islamic State, on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 28, 2016.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Congress is inching closer to handing the Pentagon another $349 million to train and equip a new group of Syrian rebels after last year's effort ended in abject failure. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., released his hold on the money April 27 just as the House Armed Services Committee was voting to reauthorize the program as part of its defense bill for fiscal year 2017.
"On the issue of the reprogramming, yes I was, quote, blocking approval of the reprogramming until yesterday when I had a very excellent briefing from [Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph] Dunford that cleared up the concerns that I had," McCain said at an April 28 hearing on the Islamic State (IS) with Dunford and Defense Secretary Ash Carter. "And why did I have those concerns …? It's because when we spent a couple of hundred million dollars the last time, the commander of Central Command testified before this committee that we had four or five people left."
The gradual reassessment in Congress follows a Department of Defense lobbying blitz to convince skeptical lawmakers that the US-trained forces are crucial to defeating IS in Syria. Carter in particular has made clear his frustration with congressional "micromanagement" through a funding process that requires approval by the House and Senate Defense authorization and appropriation panels, which have been sitting on the Pentagon's latest reprogramming request since last month.
"We're required to submit reprogramming requests, as you all know, to the four congressional defense committees. And so far, on these funds, we've received differing responses, on differing timelines. Sometimes with conflicting demands. We must get this working better going forward," Carter told McCain's panel. "I would also urge you and the other three defense committees to consider ending the reprogramming request for Syria, so that it's on equal footing with how you've structured your oversight of our train-and-equip programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. As it stands, the current setup invites troubling micromanagement of a wartime effort and risks inhibiting results."
The secretary delivered a similar message the day before at a Senate Appropriations Committee defense panel hearing on his budget request.
President Barack Obama's recent decision to send 250 more US troops to Syria "will help expand our ongoing efforts to identify, train and equip capable, motivated local forces inside Syria to help isolate and pressure Raqqa," Carter said at the April 27 hearing. "I should note, however, that Syria is an area where we need your help, particularly in releasing $349 million in … funds to help train and equip our partners on the ground. It's the centerpiece of our strategy there."
Specifics of the new mission for the Syrian rebels haven't been made public, but during the April 28 hearing Carter described them as "battle-hardened, proven anti-[IS] leaders whom we can make more capable as enablers and amplifiers of our effects."
"We made a disappointing start with that. No bones about that. We have changed the approach to that fundamentally," Carter told McCain's committee. "We were trying, when that program was initiated, to make … brand-new forces to counter [IS] in Syria. Our approach now is to identify — and this is where the [US] special forces are of value to us — forces already fighting [IS] whom we can enable with the great might of the American military. That's our new approach."
Congressional skepticism remains deep, however.
The House Armed Services Committee on April 27 defeated 52-9 an amendment by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, to strike the train-and-equip program from the annual Defense bill. But the bill still requires an update on the strategy to "retake and hold" Raqqa as well as assurances that enough US troops have been deployed to ensure that the US-trained rebels are able to defend themselves against both IS and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Panel Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, made it clear that just because the committee has reauthorized the program doesn't mean it will sign off on funding it.
"We want, obviously, a plan on what's going to happen. I don't think all the questions have been answered yet," Thornberry told Al-Monitor. "There have been a series of reprogramming requests. As you heard in the debate last night, there are lots of concerns about the program. Because of the problems the program has had, because of the whole circumstances, I think extra oversight and extra vigilance in oversight is important."
Even McCain still has concerns despite allowing the funding to go forward. He pressed Dunford on whether the rebels would have anti-aircraft systems to protect against Syrian or Russian warplanes, and received a negative answer.
Providing the rebels with air defense systems would reassure their prime backers, such as McCain, that they won't be slaughtered as soon as they leave their training sites in Jordan. On the flip side, it would make the program an even tougher sell among lawmakers who have been skeptical all along.
"If a political solution to the Syrian conflict continues to elude diplomats in Geneva … what will become of the weapons and the equipment that we have provided to these rebel groups?" Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who voted against the program back when it was launched in 2014, asked during the Armed Services Committee hearing. "Will we simply have dumped hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of equipment and worth of weapons into a volatile situation?"
Carter's less-than-reassuring answer: "In everything we do, there as elsewhere, we always think ahead when we're providing weaponry to a group about what's the future, what's the next step. So we certainly have thought about that."
Original: Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/04/syria-congress-train-equip-rebels-aid-blocked.html#ixzz47LY2H2KN
U.S. continues to airdrop weapons and aid to ISIS - a group they're allegedly fighting
Brandon Turbeville Activist Post Tue, 06 Jan 2015 14:00 UTC
© www.merdeka.com
Presumed ISIS drill practice, notice the uniforms, head cloths and rifles. Suppliers?
As the "convenient" and "accidental" airdrops of weapons and supplies by the US and NATO into the hands of ISIS and al-Qaeda jihadists fighting inside both Syria and Iraq begin to draw more attention throughout largely alternative media outlets, such convenient mistakes are also being questioned by national governments, particularly those who may be in the crosshairs of NATO in the very near future. Individuals who have come to question the nature of the allegedly accidental air drops are legion, but one of the more recent and high profile skeptics is the Commander of Iran's Basij Force, Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Naqdi. In an address to a group of Basij forces on January 5, Naqdi stated that "The US directly supports the ISIL in Iraq and the US planes drop the needed aids and weapons for ISIL in Iraq ..." In addition, he stated that the US Embassy in Baghdad is the command center for ISIL and other "takfiri" militants. Indeed, while the United States military portrays the receipt of weapons and supplies by ISIS as entirely accidental, Naqdi presents the situation as quite the opposite. Contradicting the propaganda and stated aims of the US military, Naqdi stated that the Iraqi forces have managed to retrieve aid that was actually intended for ISIS fighters, not the other way around. Naqdi, however, is merely the latest official in the region who has suggested that the U.S. "assault" on ISIS is half-hearted at best. Iraqi Member of Parliament Majid al-Gharawi recently stated that all information available "pointed out that US planes are supplying ISIL organization, not only in Salahuddin province, but also other provinces," according to Iraq TradeLink. He also stated that the United States is "not serious in fighting against the ISIL organization, because they have the technological power to determine the presence of ISIL gunmen and destroy them in one month [but have not done so]." Gharawi suggested that the "the US is trying to expand the time of the war against the ISIL to get guarantees from the Iraqi government to have its bases in Mosul and Anbar provinces." It is important to mention that, according to FARS News, the Iraqi Parliamentary Security and Defense Commission revealed that a US plane did indeed supply ISIS with arms and ammunition in the Salahuddin province in Iraq, yet that revelation has received little to no coverage in the West. In late December, 2014, yet another Iraqi lawmaker, Nahlah al-Hababi, questioned the motives and commitment of the US and its anti-ISIL coalition and claimed that the terrorist groups are actually receiving a large amount of aid dropped by unidentified aircraft. Hababi is quoted by FARS News Agency as stating "The international coalition is not serious about air strikes on ISIL terrorists and is even seeking to take out the popular Basij (voluntary) forces from the battlefield against the Takfiris so that the problem with ISIL remains unsolved in the near future." "Basij" is a term that largely means "volunteer" as in volunteer forces. She also was quoted as saying that "The ISIL terrorists are still receiving aids from unidentified fighter jets in Iraq and Syria." FARS also quotes Hababi as pointing out that the airstrikes launched by NATO are only launched in areas where Kurdish Peshmerga forces are fighting, while such strikes launched in other areas are "not so precise." The suggestion, of course, is that the "coalition" has a vested interest in supporting the Kurdish forces while, at the same time, supporting ISIS in the process of weakening Syria's Assad, Iraqi nationalism, and presumably, Iranian influence. Clearly, Hababi is not far off from the reality of the situation. As FARS writes,
In late December, the US-led coalition dropped aids to the Takfiri militants in an area North of Baghdad.
Field sources in Iraq told al-Manar that the international coalition airplanes dropped aids to the terrorist militants in Balad, an area which lies in Salahuddin province North of Baghdad.
In October, a high-ranking Iranian commander also slammed the US for providing aid supplies to ISIL, adding that the US claims that the weapons were mistakenly airdropped to ISIL were untrue.
"The US and the so-called anti-ISIL coalition claim that they have launched a campaign against this terrorist and criminal group - while supplying them with weapons, food and medicine in Jalawla region (a town in Diyala Governorate, Iraq). This explicitly displays the falsity of the coalition's and the US' claims," Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said.
The US claimed that it had airdropped weapons and medical aid to Kurdish fighters confronting the ISIL in Kobani, near the Turkish border in Northern Syria.
The US Defense Department said that it had airdropped 28 bundles of weapons and supplies, but one of them did not make it into the hands of the Kurdish fighters.
Video footage later showed that some of the weapons that the US airdropped were taken by ISIL militants.
The question of such "convenient accidents" are by no means unique to the Middle Eastern, Iraqi, or Iranian press reports, however. These types of "mistakes" happen on a seemingly regular basis in areas where the United States is allegedly fighting the very terrorist organization it created. In October, 2014, "coalition" forces dropped a number of aid supplies and ammunition allegedly intended for the Iraqi people and anti-Isis forces on the ground into territory controlled by ISIS. The "mistake" was confirmed by Iraqi officials and parliamentarians. Only in the West, it seems, does the general public look upon the so-called mistakes as anything but a sloppy excuse to re-arm NATO's terrorist mercenaries in order to reinvigorate their proxy war.
Delivery of U.S. Weapons and Ammunition to ISIS: Iraqi Commander Wiretaps ISIS Communications with U.S. Military
PUBLISHED BY ROSEMARY PENNINGTON, ON MARCH 24TH, 2015
A commander of Iraq’s popular forces disclosed that wiretapping of ISIL’s communications has confirmed the reports that the US planes have been airdropping food and arms supplies for the Takfiri terrorists.
“THE WIRETAPPED ISIL communications by Iraqi popular forces have revealed that the US planes have been dropping weapons and foodstuff for the Takfiri terrorist group,” Commander of Iraq’s Ali Akbar Battalion told FNA on Wednesday. (ILLUSTRATION: ISIS militants control a de facto Islamic sharia-law state between Iraq and Syria. Dark red indicates areas controlled by the Islamic State; light red indicates areas the organization claims but does not control.)
He noted that tapping on ISIL disclosed the terrorist group’s regular contacts with the US army, and said,
“They exchanged sentences like if they would have a share of the ammunition dropped near (Spiker Military Base) or responses such as ‘you will also receive your share’.”
“The US forces by dropping weapons and ammunition for ISIL, specially in Yassreb, Al-Ramadi and near Spiker Base in Hay al-Qadessiya have provided a lot of help to the ISIL,” he added.
Many similar reports by Iraqi officials and forces have surfaced in the last few months.
In February, an Iraqi provincial official lashed out at the western countries and their regional allies for supporting Takfiri terrorists in Iraq, revealing that the US airplanes still continue to airdrop weapons and foodstuff for the ISIL terrorists.
“The US planes have dropped weapons for the ISIL terrorists in the areas under ISIL control and even in those areas that have been recently liberated from the ISIL control to encourage the terrorists to return to those places,” Coordinator of Iraqi popular forces Jafar al-Jaberi told FNA.
He noted that eyewitnesses in Al-Havijeh of Kirkuk province had witnessed the US airplanes dropping several suspicious parcels for ISIL terrorists in the province.
“Two coalition planes were also seen above the town of Al-Khas in Diyala and they carried the Takfiri terrorists to the region that has recently been liberated from the ISIL control,” Al-Jaberi said.
Meantime, Head of Iraqi Parliament’s National Security and Defense Committee Hakem al-Zameli also disclosed that the anti-ISIL coalition’s planes have dropped weapons and foodstuff for the ISIL in Salahuddin, Al-Anbar and Diyala provinces.
In January, al-Zameli underlined that the coalition is the main cause of ISIL’s survival in Iraq.
“There are proofs and evidence for the US-led coalition’s military aid to ISIL terrorists through air (dropped cargoes),” he told FNA at the time.
He noted that the members of his committee have already proved that the US planes have dropped advanced weaponry, including anti-aircraft weapons, for the ISIL, and that it has set up an investigation committee to probe into the matter.
“The US drops weapons for the ISIL on the excuse of not knowing about the whereabouts of the ISIL positions and it is trying to distort the reality with its allegations.
He noted that the committee had collected the data and the evidence provided by eyewitnesses, including Iraqi army officers and the popular forces, and said, “These documents are given to the investigation committee … and the necessary measures will be taken to protect the Iraqi airspace.”
Also in January, another senior Iraqi legislator reiterated that the US-led coalition is the main cause of ISIL’s survival in Iraq.
“The international coalition is only an excuse for protecting the ISIL and helping the terrorist group with equipment and weapons,” Jome Divan, who is member of the al-Sadr bloc in the Iraqi parliament, said.
He said the coalition’s support for the ISIL is now evident to everyone, and continued, “The coalition has not targeted ISIL’s main positions in Iraq.”
In Late December, Iraqi Parliamentary Security and Defense Commission MP disclosed that a US plane supplied the ISIL terrorist organization with arms and ammunition in Salahuddin province.
MP Majid al-Gharawi stated that the available information pointed out that US planes are supplying ISIL organization, not only in Salahuddin province, but also other provinces, Iraq TradeLink reported.
He added that the US and the international coalition are “not serious in fighting against the ISIL organization, because they have the technological power to determine the presence of ISIL gunmen and destroy them in one month”.
Gharawi added that “the US is trying to expand the time of the war against the ISIL to get guarantees from the Iraqi government to have its bases in Mosul and Anbar provinces.”
Salahuddin security commission also disclosed that “unknown planes threw arms and ammunition to the ISIL gunmen Southeast of Tikrit city”.
Also in Late December, a senior Iraqi lawmaker raised doubts about the seriousness of the anti-ISIL coalition led by the US, and said that the terrorist group still received aids dropped by unidentified aircraft.
“The international coalition is not serious about air strikes on ISIL terrorists and is even seeking to take out the popular (voluntary) forces from the battlefield against the Takfiris so that the problem with ISIL remains unsolved in the near future,” Nahlah al-Hababi told FNA.
“The ISIL terrorists are still receiving aids from unidentified fighter jets in Iraq and Syria,” she added.
Hababi said that the coalition’s precise airstrikes are launched only in those areas where the Kurdish Pishmarga forces are present, while military strikes in other regions are not so much precise.
In late December, the US-led coalition dropped aids to the Takfiri militants in an area North of Baghdad.
Field sources in Iraq told al-Manar that the international coalition airplanes dropped aids to the terrorist militants in Balad, an area which lies in Salahuddin province North of Baghdad.
In October, a high-ranking Iranian commander also slammed the US for providing aid supplies to ISIL, adding that the US claims that the weapons were mistakenly airdropped to ISIL were untrue.
“The US and the so-called anti-ISIL coalition claim that they have launched a campaign against this terrorist and criminal group — while supplying them with weapons, food and medicine in Jalawla region (a town in Diyala Governorate, Iraq). This explicitly displays the falsity of the coalition’s and the US’ claims,” Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said.
The US claimed that it had airdropped weapons and medical aid to Kurdish fighters confronting the ISIL in Kobani, near the Turkish border in Northern Syria.
The US Defense Department said that it had airdropped 28 bundles of weapons and supplies, but one of them did not make it into the hands of the Kurdish fighters.
Video footage later showed that some of the weapons that the US airdropped were taken by ISIL militants.
The Iranian commander insisted that the US had the necessary intelligence about ISIL’s deployment in the region and that their claims to have mistakenly airdropped weapons to them are as unlikely as they are untrue.
* * *
Source: Global Research
