Lawmakers slam US strategy in Syria

U.S. military officials appear to be preparing to scale back a high-profile programme to train and arm thousands of rebels to fight the Islamic State group in Syria following a top general’s embarrassing admission that the $500mn scheme had produced just “four or five” battlefield fighters in its first year.

Another 100-120 fighters will be trained in the program’s three remaining classes, officials testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, NBC News reports.

Administration officials said that dialogue would likely begin with a phone call between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who has so far shunned such contact.

Military leaders are drawing up plans to put larger numbers of newly-trained militants in safer zones as well as providing them with more intelligence on the Daesh terrorists.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said: “We have to acknowledge this is a total failure”.

But the first 54 graduates were routed by an al-Qaeda affiliate, Gen Lloyd Austin told lawmakers.

Earnest said Austin is considering a number of changes to the military’s training program for Syrian rebels. John McCain said that in his 30 years on the panel “I have never heard testimony like this”. In Syria, the USA decided to train its own forces, “moderate” fighters who vowed to fight ISIS above Assad. The scandal eruped following a Daily Beast report, that said more 50 USA intelligence analysts had complained of intelligence manipulation.

Sen. John McCain, the Republican chairman of the committee, called the program a failure, outlined his vision of a US strategy to fight IS and suggested that more American servicemen and women might eventually be needed. But the overhaul underscores the conclusion inside the administration that the program as it now exists “is a big mess” and must be changed, one official told CNN.

White House press secretary Jsh Earnest said it is easy for criticis to second guess on the training program’s slow progress.

Pointing to the United States proposal to train 5,400 fighters – a figure many consider too small to make a real impact on the conflict – Kabalan said: “They are probably trying to provide the impression that they are trying to do something in Syria“.

“The YPG, or the Syrian Kurds, and some Arabs and Turkmen have done tremendous work in northeast Syria”, Austin said.

But in reality, none of those ideas alone are enough to defeat ISIS, Austin and Wormuth essentially said. Austin claimed he was unable to speak because it related to an ongoing investigation. “As you know, they have been there all along, but they are increasing their footprint”.

Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, is responsible for US military operations in 20 countries stretching from Egypt to Afghanistan and including Syria and Iraq. In addition: “We also are in the process of assisting with the training and equipping of Sunni tribal fighters”.