Posted on 08/02/2015 3:17:31 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
President Barack Obama has authorized the use of air power to defend a new U.S.-backed fighting force in Syria should it come under attack from Syrian government forces or other groups, officials said, in a move that could increase the risk of the U.S. coming into direct conflict with the Assad regime.
The decision ends a months long debate over the role the U.S. military should play in supporting its few allies on the battlefield and comes as the U.S. and Turkey discussed joint operations to clear a zone along the Turkish-Syrian border of Islamic State militants. Turkish officials wanted assurances from the U.S. that it would be serious about defending allied ground forces there.
Even though the new rules allow Pentagon strikes to defend the new force against the Assad regime, U.S. military officials played down the chances of a direct conflict between the governments, at least in the near term, since the newly-trained force has committed to fighting Islamic State, not the regime, and wont be fielded in areas the regime controls.
The Pentagon has struggled to recruit and vet rebels for the new train-and-equip program, which it launched last year, in part because the U.S. is asking them to fight Islamic State instead of the Assad regime. Most rebels see the regime as their main enemy. Fewer than 60 rebels have completed the Pentagon training program and re-entered the fight so far, casting doubt on the effort.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Hussein always is on the wrong side in the ME.
... Translation: Charlie Foxtrot or Congratulations, ISIS. You now have an air force.
Indeed he is. Thing is, there's no discernible, reliable right side.
Exactly. The ISIS air force planes are on the way.
New Force? New Way. One Way. Rebels. Muslim Rebels
Obama! You incompetent boob!
whom do we support again?
Giving cash or eqivalents to any muzzie is counter indicated.
It's more than incompetency. Obama is as blackly evil as anything from the pit of Hell.
Yet more brilliant foreign policy from Clown Prince nobama and his team of plugs biden and traitor kerry. Sheesh! These degenerates are complete fools.
And where are the anti-war protests on this crap?
So, when will we see the headline “US to use air power to defend Iran from Israeli attack”? I mean we’ve already given up the store.
Are we going to bomb the Kurds in the process of helping the Turks? A ruse?
Our Air Force is going to protect a current or future ISIS splinter group from Assad?
I mean, the group obama backed in Libya against Qadaffi showed how good we are at picking pro democracy winners
ISIS got air cover!
Thius is the ISIS branch we are now committed to defend?
Just brought the USA into the final war of human civilizations the Plains of Megiddo (Armaggeddon) are not far off, the Army from the East - Afghanistan will be given free reign as it joins with ISIS. Iran will have nuclear warheads by 2016. The elections for 2016 will be cancelled - All the Plans of the One World Government will ensue prior to the end of 2016 - Christians prepare to kiss your butt good bye.
Committing forces to a foreign conflict, absent existential emergency, is certainly against current law and the Constitution.
A 60-man army, eh?
This action is a day late and a dollar short. The force we are going to protect was wiped out by the Al Nusrah Front (Al Qaeda) last week.
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