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US President Barack Obama has asked his nation’s Congress to approve $500 million in aid to equip and train “moderate” Syrian rebel forces.
The funds would go a long way in helping Syrians defend themselves against President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, the White House said. It also said that the aid could also help counter militants like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) – ISIS has been sweeping through neighbor Iraq for over a week now and has led some members of Congress to hassle Obama to take some action against them. Over tens of thousands have been killed and millions have been displaced by the civil war in Syria over the past three years, as rebel forces combat soldiers loyal to President Assad.
“This funding request would build on the administration’s longstanding efforts to empower the moderate Syrian opposition, both civilian and armed”, the White House said, adding that it will also “enable the Department of Defense to increase our support to vetted elements of the armed opposition”.
The White House also said that the aid will help stabilize region under the control of the rebels, and help counter terrorist threats. It added that the rebels who will receive the funds will be thoroughly vetted beforehand to make sure that equipment will not fall into the hands of extremist forces hostile to the United States and its allies.
Obama has been under severe pressure from some members of the US Congress to increase its assistance in the region.
Obama had last month hinted at increasing help from Syrian opposition members in a speech he had given at the military academy in West Point, saying that he will work with Congress to “ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and a brutal dictator”.
