WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — On Monday, the White House announced it was willing to take “additional steps” to defend US-trained fighters in Syria from attacks by Syrian government forces or Islamists.
“That may be worth Congress taking up, because we have had testimony by [Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair] General [Martin] Dempsey and others, that they do not feel like they’re authorized to do that,” Corker said Thursday of defending the newly trained Syrian rebels from the Assad regime.
Earlier in July, top Pentagon officials testified to the Senate that they were uncertain about the legal authority and rules of engagement for defending the newly trained Syrian forces.
Corker explained that the Congress could have a role in granting authority to defend the US-trained forces, “because I am not sure they are authorized to do that.”
Beginning in April, the United States began a train and equip program for Syrian fighters to combat Islamic State forces in northern Syria. By July 2015, the Pentagon reported they had only trained 60 fighters.
US efforts to recruit Syrian rebel fighters began shortly after the outbreak of the 2011 Syrian civil war, when the United States was seeking opposition fighters to remove Assad from power.
On Sunday, US media reports cited an unnamed administration official claiming that the White House authorized new rules of engagement allowing the United States to provide air cover to its Syrian forces against threats from Islamic State and Syrian government forces. The Obama administration’s public remarks have not confirmed the initial report.
