09-18-2014, 12:39 PM
VOTE UNDERWAY TODAY -- US ACTION IN SYRIA
Today, the Senate will be voting on a package that was approved by the House yesterday. It addresses arming Syrian rebels and is attached to a government spending bill, fueling criticism that lawmakers are avoiding a separate vote on arming the Syrian rebels.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, told CNN's "New Day" she had serious concerns. "I'm going to vote for the continuing resolution because I don't want government to shut down," she said. "Right now, the Senate isn't even scheduled to have a separate vote on the Syrian resolution, and that's just plain wrong."
Sen. Collins said she's worried that it will be difficult to vet the "so-called moderate Syrian opposition." "We spent billions of dollars and a decade training the Iraqi security forces. And look what happened when they were confronted with the ISIS threat -- they basically cut and run, with the exception of the Kurdish forces in the north."
Meanwhile, the terror group, which refers to itself as the "Islamic State," has captured 16 predominantly Kurdish villages in northern Syria over the past 24 hours, a Syrian opposition group said Thursday. A former Syrian rebel leader claims ISIS is more dangerous than the Syrian government.
For weeks, US intelligence and military targeting specialists have been working around the clock on a list of targets.
"I think it's very hard to sort out the moderate rebels from the extremists and I have a real worry that once we send these rebels back into the battle space there is very little we can do to prevent them from locking arms with al Qaeda or elements of ISIS," said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut.
But Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri and a member of the Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. intelligence community will play an important role in vetting the rebels. She also said training could take up to a year before arms are provided. "All of those people criticizing this choice, I have yet to hear their better idea," Senator McCaskill said.
Full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/18/world/...?hpt=hp_t1
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Airstrikes in Syria are coming soon, IMO (along with the backlash that will be associated with hitting unintended targets in the effort to strike ISIS camps/members). I think it's inevitable.
Arming some of the "rebels" to fight IS in Syria will start in 2015, IMO. Vetting them, training them in Saudi Arabia, monitoring them...big job with a lot of associated political risk.
Today, the Senate will be voting on a package that was approved by the House yesterday. It addresses arming Syrian rebels and is attached to a government spending bill, fueling criticism that lawmakers are avoiding a separate vote on arming the Syrian rebels.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, told CNN's "New Day" she had serious concerns. "I'm going to vote for the continuing resolution because I don't want government to shut down," she said. "Right now, the Senate isn't even scheduled to have a separate vote on the Syrian resolution, and that's just plain wrong."
Sen. Collins said she's worried that it will be difficult to vet the "so-called moderate Syrian opposition." "We spent billions of dollars and a decade training the Iraqi security forces. And look what happened when they were confronted with the ISIS threat -- they basically cut and run, with the exception of the Kurdish forces in the north."
Meanwhile, the terror group, which refers to itself as the "Islamic State," has captured 16 predominantly Kurdish villages in northern Syria over the past 24 hours, a Syrian opposition group said Thursday. A former Syrian rebel leader claims ISIS is more dangerous than the Syrian government.
For weeks, US intelligence and military targeting specialists have been working around the clock on a list of targets.
"I think it's very hard to sort out the moderate rebels from the extremists and I have a real worry that once we send these rebels back into the battle space there is very little we can do to prevent them from locking arms with al Qaeda or elements of ISIS," said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut.
But Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri and a member of the Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. intelligence community will play an important role in vetting the rebels. She also said training could take up to a year before arms are provided. "All of those people criticizing this choice, I have yet to hear their better idea," Senator McCaskill said.
Full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/18/world/...?hpt=hp_t1
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Airstrikes in Syria are coming soon, IMO (along with the backlash that will be associated with hitting unintended targets in the effort to strike ISIS camps/members). I think it's inevitable.
Arming some of the "rebels" to fight IS in Syria will start in 2015, IMO. Vetting them, training them in Saudi Arabia, monitoring them...big job with a lot of associated political risk.