The
US has only trained about 60 Syrian opposition fighters to battle the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, far below expectations, Defence
Secretary Ash Carter has told Congress, citing rigorous vetting of
recruits.
The
programme, which launched in May in Jordan and Turkey, was designed to
train as many as 5,400 fighters a year and seen as a test of President
Barack Obama’s strategy of engaging local partners to combat ISIL
fighters.
Carter’s
acknowledgement on Tuesday of the low number of recruits will give
ammunition to critics who say Obama’s strategy is too limited to have
any influence on Syria’s conflict.
“Given
the poor numbers of recruited and trained Syrian fighters thus far, I
am doubtful we can achieve our goal of training a few thousand this
year,” said Republican Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee.
Source: Punchng
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