Syrians to Be Trained to Defend Territory, Not Take Ground From Jihadists, Officials Say

One measure of military success is installation of sustainable and stable governance. But that seems unlikely in the chaotic Middle East. The United States is leading a coalition to fight the Islamic State, which has terrorized communities with beheadings and even reports of chemical attacks. The United States has limited its intervention to air attacks in Syria and Iraq. The plan is to identify moderate Syrian rebels previously trying to take down the Assad regime in Syria as well as opponents of extremism among the millions in refugee camps in Jordan and Turkey – providing them about eight weeks of training them to defend territory. “Although moderate Syrian fighters are deemed essential to defeating the Islamic State under the Obama administration’s strategy, officials do not believe the newly assembled units will be capable of capturing key towns from militants without the help of forward-deployed U.S. combat teams, which President Obama has so far ruled out,” reports Rajiv Chandrasekaran for the Washington Post. “The Syrian rebel force will be tasked instead with trying to prevent the Islamic State from extending its reach beyond the large stretches of territory it already controls.” The United States hopes to keep tight control over its chosen fighters, but allegiance can shift quickly in the Middle East. – YaleGlobal