Testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee today, Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of Centcom, admitted that the pro-US Syrian rebel faction, dubbed the New Syrian Force (NSF) in most official contexts, is virtually gone now, with virtually everybody either killed or having fled.
What was initially envisioned as a force of tens of thousands of anti-ISIS fighters amounted to only 54 to start with, and Gen. Austin told Congress today that they are down to “four or five” fighters still active in the field. Needless to say, it’s not going well.
Austin went on to say that the next two classes of NSF fighters are still being trained, though that training too is falling behind schedule. The indications are that these classes aren’t much bigger, 100-120 fighters all told. The pared-back goal of 5,000 fighters is likely still years off.
The general went on to say that they are “reviewing” the program, though since the Pentagon has repeatedly talked up the NSF as the end-all, be-all plan for victory in Syria, and has harshly resisted efforts to change the process, which they’ve invested tens of millions of dollars into for tens of fighters.
seems like when you are dealing with an army of five people you should at least be able to keep track of exactly how many there are.
What young Syrian would be stupid enough to join such a farce (or force)? He'd have to have a death wish. Five people left. You can't make this stuff up!!!
What was the cost of this program again? Half a billion? Shocking, SHOCKING, I tell you.
An army of 4 or 5. Sooo, exactly where did the $42 million go? This is extreme even by Pentagon standards. And in July congress approved $500 million for this training. This is so outrageous I'm sure it will be on the news. /s
When US finally unleashed it’s Shock and Awe upon Iraq II already on the ground they had some 8000 trained in Romania, Czechoslovakia , Hungary , all ready spread throughout Iraq cities and outside of military installations and busy road intersections.
As the invasion progressed they and their spec ops handlers tried to pinpoint Saddamfor Assassination but failed, they did succeed on settling old score upon minor officials and their familys.
While the torture went on at the out of country training sites the Chosen ones not having any cultural inhibitions of butchery assissted. By time US hit Bagdhad proper another 7-8000 trainedtroop entered the cleanup slaughter.
Besides thes dumb as bricks troops US had over 1500 familys of IRAq upper political and military standing in line for tripto US.under of all things, FBI Witness Protection Program ( 5 years payout plus all they could steal on way out of Iraq.
Also over 3500 Iraq expats were under contract through cross country cultural exchange and if not directly in employ of military they got post as experts on IRAQ at some 35 univrrsities .
These too were supposed to go back but the Christain coalition with its pull on Pentago. Through hristian embassy offices soon had every dickless and sexless Oral Roberts and other religious school graduates shunting IRAQexlerts aside.
These State Departnent had benn enrolled by CIA etc for many yearsa d were supposed toreplace Iraq officials.
Traitors care not, they were in it for the buck and did not give a f.. how many died by their treachery.
It doesn't matter that there's only four or five if they're a really, really good four or five.
Yes, this story gives a new meaning to the old Pentagon recruiting pitch about being an
Army of One
Those five are called Rambo, Rambo, Rambo, Rambo and Rambo, I assume.
I saw this on Fox News. Chuck Krauthammer was livid. I was laughing at the stupidity of it all. Instead of "the world's only superpower" post-modern America should be called "the world's only stupid power." When it comes to running an empire the US is the absolute worst. The quicker the US leaves the world stage, the better, not only for America, but the rest of the world as well. Damn, the US looks stupid as hell.
Trump is correct that they're all stupid. Problem is, he's stupid as well.
Trumps ultimate pathos is this: he'd be dismissed from the table of any real oligarch for farting without permission
That's it….? No wonder ISIS is growing like a poisonous mashroom with very bad smell and possibly laughing at USG thanking it for weapon dropping.
guess they're going for the literal interpretation of the
old recruiting slogan "Army of One"
The NSF has to be a public relations ploy to silience Obama's Syria policy critics. Their real strategy is probably to use ISIS to topple the Asad government.
You folks are being played as suckers.
They profit from it and their output is so small that it can't come back and bite them in the rear end like the Afghan Mujaheddin. It wouldn't be a good career move to train the next Abu Omar al Shishani. I mean that is just bad publicity: http://www.mintpressnews.com/u-s-training-helped-…
That's it….? No wonder ISIS is growing like a poisonous mashroom with very bad smell and possibly laughing at USG thanking it for weapon dropping.
Monty Python 2016! Yay.
Obama gave his consent to destroy Assad Syria by arming and training the guys who became ISIS.Should he be honest ,he must return his nobel price for peace.How many deaths on his conscience….
We always let the powers that be frame the topic to fit their agenda: Now why does no one note that the US hss no gn buisness being in any ME nationd let alpne hiring assassins to do their killings.
US money for hire pseudo mercs, are no fn better than the ISIl sychopaths and homicidal murdering low life.
Those who vote in Congress and are hired by Executive branches State and Defence Department and our spec ops do so locally as well and our military down to lowest ranked recruit are all war criminals.
Then again in US and around the world no one nation has the guts or where-with-all to
declare it openly.
US weaponry knows no border, our military persons have almost zero% chance of being harmed, are paid damned well( over what 47 million working dual income familys earn) and when in states are treated like mini gods.
Still it is cheaper than having 22 veterans killing themselves every day since Gulf war II began.
It is hard on the militarys breeding stock to see their off spring offing themselves.
The american soldier is offered the same dned foolishness of martyrdom as an islamic, minus the virgins, we have so few left the lock the kindergarten gates.
Mommy and daddy or if marrird their spouse get a boxed flag and $250,000 USD.
Cheaper by far to have some dumb as a rock Arab, Aussie, Brit, French, German, or Canadian catching the bullets.
As usual most grunts are only good for pointing out the enemy while arty planes, chopper gunners, and drones now do the actual fighting.
Syrians fight for their Country and support their President the legitimate Leader of the Country
only Russia and Iran support the Syrian Government
The US just wants to contain ISIS not destroy them
But as we know logic doesn't dictate here just the goal to topple the Asad government.
Remember theses fighter are really just Terrorists