The combat unit has ceased to exist

The Pentagon recognized the failure of the expensive Syrian training program

On September 16, hearing was held in the US Senate dedicated to the country's participation in hostilities in Syria. In particular, General Lloyd Austin, commander of the Central Command of the US Armed Forces, spoke about the progress of the program for the preparation of Syrian armed groups to counteract the Islamic State (the organization is prohibited in the Russian Federation). According to Austin, 54 fighters were prepared during the program. To date, four or five remain in the ranks.

The Syrians weapons and training program was launched in May 2015. It was assumed that after the preparation, the residents of Syria from among the moderate opponents of Bashar al -Assad will be able to fight the militants of the “Islamic state” with the support of American airstrikes (about the civil war in Syria and the current balance of power can be read here ). During the program for which the United States allocated $ 500 million, it was supposed to prepare 12 thousand people in two years. Now the American military admitted that this goal is hardly achievable.

According to General Austin, in the first months it was possible to prepare a group of 54 people. In the summer (the exact time of the start of the operation is not called) they were abandoned with weapons to the north of Syria. In July, the group was attacked by the militants of the Ang Nusra Front (Al-Keda division), after which, according to the military expression, "ceased to exist as a functioning combat unit." As it turned out, before the attack, the militants managed to kidnap the detachment commander. Many group members are still captured.

When, during the hearing in the Senate, Austin was asked how many people were left of the group, he replied: “This is a small number. If we talk about those who continue to fight, then these are four or five people. ”

Currently, within the framework of the program, two more groups are held with a total number of 100 to 120 people, but the military "faced difficulties in recruiting." According to Lloyd Austin, it will not be possible to achieve the declared goal of 12 thousand fighters at such a pace.

The Pentagon program for the preparation and armament of the Syrians initially raised many questions. For example, the United States planned to recruit volunteers from among the opponents of Assad, but promised that the military trained under the program would not fight against government troops. This is partly explained by "Difficulties in the recruitment of those who wish." Another reason is that all candidates had to go through the Pentagon check. It turned out that not everyone corresponded to the declared criteria.

According to CNN, the Barack Obama administration understands that “full mess” is happening with the training of the Syrians. In the near future, the program will be radically revised. The military require an increase in the number of groups to ensure their combat effectiveness, but the government also consider options in which trained fighters will not at all enter into a direct confrontation with the “Islamic state”. Instead, they will ensure the work of communications and collect intelligence for airstrikes on the positions of militants. The decision to apply air strikes will remain in the competence of the United States by the coalition.