Only handful of Syrian fighters remain in battle

“It’s a small number, the ones that are in the fight is, we’re talking four or five”, General Lloyd Austin said during testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Austin conceded the Pentagon has struggled to train and equip a proxy force, and that the military will fall far short of its goal of training 5,400 rebel fighters a year for the next three years.

The Pentagon’s inspector general is investigating allegations that U.S. Central Command’s top intelligence officials pressured analysts to discard parts of their reports that reflected poorly on the war effort in Iraq and Syria, resulting in flawed assessments that overstated American progress.

Gen. Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the $500 million program’s “slow start” is not fully indicative of Washington’s efforts to combat Daesh. And SASC Chairman John McCain today said that for the panel to continue supporting the program, “we need some major changes”. Islamic State’s forces, by contrast, are estimated to be well over 30,000.

The news is likely to complicate relations with U.S. ally Turkey, who is now engaged in a conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who are ideologically and strategically aligned with the YPG in Syria.

Lawmakers responded to Gen. Austin’s description of overall progress against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq with near-universal skepticism, and they described the administration’s strategy of defeating the militants with air power, along with training and supplies for indigenous forces on the ground, as a failure.

Austin says the Iraqis must recruit and retain new forces or gains will be limited against the Islamic State.

He added, “I think it’s important to remember that this element is designed to be a compliment to all the other things that we’re doing”.

Austin also addressed the recent build-up of Russian troops in Syria, using another name for ISIS: “As you know they have been there all along but they are increasing their footprint”.

“Let’s not kid ourselves-that’s a joke”, said Sen.

In his opening statement, Austin updated the committee on conditions in Iraq and Syria.

Last year, the Obama administration announced the training program as a way to create a ground force to take on ISIS without having to deploy USA forces.

Kurdish fighters in the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria have been at the forefront of the fight against IS and now autonomously control a vast swathe of territory captured from the group and Syrian government. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Angus King, I-Maine, said they agreed with McCain and urged the administration to consider a humanitarian zone to help protect Syrian refugees in their homeland and ease current exodus of Syrians to Europe and nations in the region.