After the shocking admission ("four or five Syrians remain of our program"), the Pentagon is reworking its entire strategy which no longer provides for the complete formation of rebel units.
The White House hoped to train Syrian 5400 a year for a force that should have included 15 thousand in the 2017. The new strategy envisages the formation, by US special forces, of JNTAC operators (Joint terminal attack controller) 500 able to coordinate air strikes in the role of Close Air Support directly in the field.
The goal is to provide support to the paramilitary forces already present in Syria such as the YPG, composed of Syrian Kurds active in the north of the country.
To train rebel 54, the Pentagon has spent 41,8 million dollars. The unit, which entered action for the first time last July, now has actual 4 or 5. Some were killed, others captured. Most of them fled during clashes with militants from the Al-Nusra Front, a Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate. Finally, others, returning home by the end of Ramadan, have never resumed service.
The Pentagon today admits waste. "How were those 42 million dollars spent? Simple, giving them the most expensive kit we could give them: dune buggy, Ar-15, bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, helmets, boots, all kinds of equipment ".
(photo: US DoD)
