US abandons train-and-equip program for Syrian rebels: report

Published October 9th, 2015 - 12:02 GMT
A senior official said the US would end the program that hoped to establish a fighting force against Daesh. (AFP/File)
A senior official said the US would end the program that hoped to establish a fighting force against Daesh. (AFP/File)

The US has decided to forgo the country's train-and-equip program for rebels fighting Daesh (ISIS) in Syria, The New York Times reported Friday.

According to the report, Pentagon officials are expected to announce the end of the $500 million program Friday after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter meets with his British counterpart, Michael Fallon, in London. 

A senior Defense Department official told The New York Times the US will establish a smaller training center in Turkey to teach opposition leaders some operational maneuvers but that there would be no more training programs.

Currently Syrian rebels undergo training funded by the US in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

The US has received criticism for its program that hoped to establish an opposition group large enough to fight the force of Daesh in Syria. In late September the Obama administration announced it would suspend recruitment for the program as it reevaluated the efforts. 

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