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WaPo:Syrian rebels feel betrayed by U.S. : "It will weaken America’s influence"

Syrian rebel commanders said Thursday that they were disappointed in the Trump administration’s decision to end a covert CIA weapons and training program for opposition fighters, an initiative that began under President Barack Obama but fizzled out amid battlefield losses and concerns about extremism within rebel ranks.

“We definitely feel betrayed,” said Gen. Tlass al-Salameh of Osoud al-Sharqiya, a group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army. Salameh and his deputies say that they have received CIA support to rout the Islamic State from areas of eastern Syria but that they have also fought battles against pro-government ­forces.

“It feels like we are being abandoned at a very difficult moment,” Salameh said. “It feels like they only wanted to help when we were fighting [the Islamic State]. Now that we are also fighting the regime, the Americans want to withdraw.”

Salameh and others, reached by phone Thursday, said they had only read about the decision, which was first reported by The Washington Post, in reports translated by local news media. The commanders were unclear how the policy to end the program would be implemented or whether their fighters would be affected.

“The picture is not clear for us yet, but I think it is a very bad move,” Col. Ahmed al-Hammadi, a Free Syrian Army commander in the Damascus countryside, said of the decision.

“It will give a boost to the Assad regime and strengthen the Iranians,” he said, referring to Iran’s substantial support for Assad. “And it will weaken America’s influence in Syria and the region.”

“It made a difference, but not a massive one,” he said of the CIA support. “It’s not like the U.S. is sending us planes or ground troops

The Obama policy was, in fact, designed to provoke a battlefield stalemate — which the administration hoped would lead to a negotiated end to the conflict. It began in 2013, with training and weapons for rebels vetted for extremist ties.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...76f252-6cbc-11e7-abbc-a53480672286_story.html
 
Sorry you feel that way Syrian Rebels, but believe it or not there are people who want the US to stop meddling in other countries. Oh well.
 

Torokil

Member
Only good thing Trump has done.

"Moderate rebels" is a unicorn. The fallout from Arab spring should show everyone that.
 
They have every right to feel betrayed.

Because they were.

Betrayed by Trump.

Fuck Trump

Right, because the Syrian civil war is this simple black and white issue of Trump being the evil one

Not sure you have a clue what's going on there, arming the rebels who are often extremist themselves was never the answer
 

Torokil

Member
Its also worth noting that its looking like Assad is going to win anyway. Even I don't think Clinton would have continued support.
 

RinsFury

Member
Without TOW missiles to act as the equalizer against Syrian armor, these rebels are finished. They may be able to get some Russian and Iranian models off the black market, but the loss of American TOW's will be devastating.
 

sphagnum

Banned
Well, they were. Trump creating new generations of terrorists.

Tbh a ton of the Syrian rebels are already terrorists.

The only faction in this war I've ever felt comfortable with is the SDF and Kurds though they've got their own problems as well.
 
Right, because the Syrian civil war is this simple black and white issue of Trump being the evil one

Not sure you have a clue what's going on there, arming the rebels who are often extremist themselves was never the answer

These were people who were pledged support only to have the rug pulled out from under them.

I realize it's not black and white, believe me. But there are good factions in they Syrian rebels who were promised help. And they're essentially sent to die without that support.

But I'ma bow out, as I've had a bit to drink.
 
Syria is the only thing where Trump is more right than Obama.

I like Obama, but he was wrong with Syria by arming dubious rebels who can't be vouched for
 
Same strategy of leaving guys like this high and dry worked well for the Mujaheddin fighters in Afghanistan. Trump is going be the cause of dead American for decades.
 
These were people who were pledged support only to have the rug pulled out from under them.

I realize it's not black and white, believe me. But there are good factions in they Syrian rebels who were promised help. And they're essentially sent to die without that support.

But I'ma bow out, as I've had a bit to drink.

"In the outskirts of Aleppo, the FSA (Free Syrian Army) has implemented a Sharia law enforcement police force that is a replica of the Wahhabi police in Saudi Arabia — forcing ordinary citizens to abide by the Sharia code."

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/2380399


But fuck Trump right?
 

Takyon

Member
1. Be an autocratic leader
2. large groups of your population protest against your shitty government
3. Respond in overwhelming,disproportionate, violent force.
4. Gas innocent men, women and children
5. Watch as your opponents radicalize and harden under the extreme pressure of the civil war
6. Congratulations! You are now the "stable" choice for Syrian leadership and will most likely get away with both your life and your position.
 
This doesn't affect the US's support of Rojava, does it?

Yeah, but the kurds are involved in ethnic cleansing, abuses and human rights violations in general.

Its a shit show all around.
1. Be an autocratic leader
2. large groups of your population protest against your shitty government
3. Respond in overwhelming,disproportionate, violent force.
4. Gas innocent men, women and children
5. Watch as your opponents radicalize and harden under the extreme pressure of the civil war
6. Congratulations! You are now the "stable" choice for Syrian leadership and will most likely get away with both your life and your position.

Its not that simple tho, foreign fighters and influence from Saudi arabia, Qatar, Turkey and others are also among the main causes of the radicalization that happened too, foreing jihadist flocked the country, a shit situation was made even worse by outside influence , the civil war became a regional conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and a global one between US and Russia.
 
I wonder if these are the same people who posted all that positive stuff about him online after he ordered the bombing on that empty airfield. You got played, suckers.
 

Takyon

Member
Its not that simple tho, foreign fighters and influence from Saudi arabia, Qatar, Turkey and others are also among the main causes of the radicalization that happened too, foreing jihadist flocked the country

Yeah, true. Assad still started it though.
I'm just mad tbh.
 
Yes still Fuck Trump

So you have nothing of substance to contribute to the discussion, good to know


You rather ISIS and other extremists be in power? Because there isn't some magical peaceful deomocratic group looking to take power over Assad

Funny how people forget the disaster of America taking out Saddam and Gaddafi but think America ONCE AGAIN intervening in the overthrowing of a government is now some great idea
 
Only good thing Trump has done.

"Moderate rebels" is a unicorn. The fallout from Arab spring should show everyone that.

On the other hand, everyone against the Assad regime is a hardcore jihadist is an absolute fabrication of Assad and the Russian government. It's just as reductive and divorced from reality as the "moderate rebel" idea the U.S. has tried to foster.
 

Heshinsi

"playing" dumb? unpossible
On the other hand, everyone against the Assad regime is a hardcore jihadist is an absolute fabrication of Assad and the Russian government. It's just as reductive and divorced from reality as the "moderate rebel" idea the U.S. has tried to foster.
Well even the FSA is implementing shit like Sharia Law. So whether they're ISIS like or they follow the Saudi model, they're still scum.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Well, they were. Trump creating new generations of terrorists.

Who had any doubt? He's probably still hoping for a 9/11 style event to whip up America again and use all that fervor to obfuscate what's really going on and of course, start a few wars.
 

Hermii

Member
Honestly I think a program designed to provoke a battlefield stalemate is cynical as fuck. If you fail to negotiate a peace all of you are doing is making sure the conflict is going on forever.
 
Conflicted about this. On the one side, Assad gone would be nice. On the other, I don't expect groups like this to actually set up a functional government that will also not lead to a ton of problems. Two evils to choose from.
 

ianpm31

Member
Honestly I think a program designed to provoke a battlefield stalemate is cynical as fuck. If you fail to negotiate a peace all of you are doing is making sure the conflict is going on forever.

The stalemate is to eventually one day have Assad fall and or Russia backs out because they are wasting money and economy isn't the greatest but by not funding the rebels
Assad gets more power and control over his country in which Russia is fully backing. Therefore Russia gains more influence in the middle east...

Putin is using Trump like a puppet ..
 
Trying to play this double game of getting rid of both Assad and ISIS and installing some kind of moderate faction that could possibly maintain any sort of stability always seemed like a fool's errand prone to massive blowback.
 
There hasn't been a unified force against Assad in Syria for years which is why the situation is what it is, many rebels are fighting each other, ISIS, and the combined force of Syrian government forces, Russia, and Iran.

Even if Assad had to defeated it would mean fuck all, fighting will continue in Syria among all the groups as it is happening right now, everyone has their own ideology/goals.

U.S fucked it by arming rebels in the first place and purposefully avoiding diplomatic channels because they thought Assad would've been overthrown like what was happening with the rest of the Arab Spring at the time.
 
Yeah, but the kurds are involved in ethnic cleansing, abuses and human rights violations in general.

Its a shit show all around.


Its not that simple tho, foreign fighters and influence from Saudi arabia, Qatar, Turkey and others are also among the main causes of the radicalization that happened too, foreing jihadist flocked the country, a shit situation was made even worse by outside influence , the civil war became a regional conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and a global one between US and Russia.

Pretty fucking ironic considering Syria exported jihadist into Iraq after the fall of Saddam. Enjoy your shit sandwich assholes.

Also, fuck the kurds for the shit they are doing to Assyrians in northern Iraq.
 

D4Danger

Unconfirmed Member
All this was doing to prolonging a war where the main casualties are civilians. The US had absolutely no plan beyond "give the other people guns".
 

Ponn

Banned
This is something I just can't criticize Trump for. US meddling in the Middle East never works out. The US arming and training people in the Middle East sure as shit has always came back to bite us in the ass and definitely has never worked out before. It's like no one in the government can pick up a damn history book.
 
If you are non-muslim then you are probably much better living in Assad Syria than in whatever rebels were trying to create.

Yes the guy using Hezbollah and Iranian militias an an army is surely the beacon for non-Muslims. He is exterminating people for simply living in rebel areas, doesn't matter who they are.



You rather ISIS and other extremists be in power? Because there isn't some magical peaceful deomocratic group looking to take power over Assad

Funny how people forget the disaster of America taking out Saddam and Gaddafi but think America ONCE AGAIN intervening in the overthrowing of a government is now some great idea

You are making up things I haven't said. Assad is by far the worst party in this conflict. No one else has murdered, starved, tortured, bombed, terrorized more people than Assad. Under him there will never be peace and he lacks the will or ability to rebuild. Like other ME despots he will sign off parts of Syria to ISIS lite or another terror group that will maintain order for him.


Syria is too far gone for one of the warring parties to take control (other than the Kurdish fighters). 7 years or war so only the most hardened fighters are sticking around. It will need a 15-20 year peacekeeping and nation building mission.
 

E-Cat

Member
Good decision by Trump (shock).

To those who want the rebels to win, what's your endgame? A new, "peaceful" government? Please.
 
Good decision by Trump (shock).

To those who want the rebels to win, what's your endgame? A new, "peaceful" government? Please.

Anyone that pretends like there's a good side to back that leads to peace is a naive jackass. Trump's decision is just meant as a wink and nudge to Russia, not part of long term strategy or peace.
 
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