"In Syria we still have four, five trained soldiers."
"Excuse me, are you kidding?"
"No, we have a small number of fighters still in the field. Four Syrians, maybe five ”.
This is the exchange of words between members of the Senate Armed Services Commission and the US military commander for the Middle East, General Lloyd Austin, during a hearing that ended a few minutes ago.
The Defense Department's plan to train units in Syria to combat the Islamic state has been called a "total failure".
For the first year, the US would have to train 5,400 men, but the first trained group, consisting of 54 units, was attacked by a Syrian al-Qaeda cell. Despite the training, the first unit that was supposed to fight the Islamic State with US weapons was neutralized. Many those killed on the field, some caught. Many have fled, giving the enemy equipment.
For the first time, the US military has recognized that the moderate force trained in Syria that should have opposed the Islamic State (54 unit instead of 5,400), no longer exists.
(pictured - US DoD archive - the general Lloyd Austin with President Obama)
