US Airdrops Ammunition to Syrian Rebels

[Purveyor]

Source: ABC News

(WASHINGTON) -- U.S. military aircraft airdropped 50 tons of small arms ammunition to vetted Syrian rebel groups Sunday, marking the start of the Obama administration's shift away from the stalled effort to train moderate Syrian rebels to fight ISIS and instead support existing rebel groups directly with supplies and weapons.

"Coalition forces conducted an airdrop Sunday in northern Syria to resupply local counter-ISIL ground forces as they conduct operations against ISIL," said Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve in Baghdad, using the acronym preferred by the U.S. government for ISIS.

"This successful airdrop provided ammunition to Syrian Arab groups whose leaders were appropriately vetted by the United States and have been fighting to remove ISIL from northern Syria," Warren said. "Due to operational security we will not have any further details about the groups that received these supplies, their location, or the type of equipment in the airdrop."

A U.S. official said four C-17 aircraft were involved in the airdrop of 50 tons of small arms ammunition.

Read more: http://www.kmbz.com/US-Airdrops-Ammunition-to-Syrian-Rebels/22060563

[salib]

1. "vetted Syrian rebel groups"

I have no confidence in the ability of U.S. intelligence in vetting these groups.

How much of this is going to end up in the hands of ISIS?

[PSPS]

14. Probably most of it. These guys usually end up "surrendering" to their al-nusra handlers.

[Yupster]

19. My reaction too -- "vetted"

Can you believe that crap.

[phantom power]

2. I'm sure all that weaponry will Only Be Used For Good

How is it possible we are still this stupid after all these years?

[uawchild]

10. I just don't get it...

who _really_ is pushing this foreign policy and to what end?

[McKim]

15. Our foreign Policy is Run by PNAC to Destabilize and Control the Middle East

Our foreign policy is controlled by the NeoCon group who signed the Project for the New American Century. Their plans include destabillzeing countries in the Middle East to be able to control them economically and keep them from economic alliances with Russia and China. Ziggy Brezesinski advises Obama on how to do this. They are punishing Assad for not cooperating with a pipeline from Iraq to the Mediterranean and for not cooperating with us around the Iraq War. These neocon monsters do not care how many people die
or how many countries are destroyed, as long as they win. They may even be helping or even spawninng Al Qaida and ISIS. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men, the head spins trying to understand it all. This is my basic understanding of events and I am no expert, just a very informed and skeptical person. It is a very painful story, our country being run by these sociopathic animals.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

18. Good call...

... and welcome to DU.

[nyabingi]

20. Exactly right and I agree 100% (nt)

[Psephos]

26. It's run by the President.

And it's a joke.

[CullenBohannon]

28. true

[Elmergantry]

21. The guy in the Oval Office?

"The Buck Stops Here" and all that..

[Nihil]

27. Charlie Brown never caught on to the old "You Can Trust Me This Time!" ploy did he?

It's just a shame that he was voted into office for so many years ...

[odd_duck]

3. "Syrian Rebels"

So many euphemisms for terrorists these days......

[roamer65]

4. The Russians and Iranians will see it as an act of war.

Get ready for a full scale invasion by Iran through northern Iraq into Syria. The Russians will provide air cover for it, since the Iranians don't have much of an Air Force.

[Purveyor]

8. Indeed I would say "it's on". I don't see this ending well at all... eom

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. That was my first thought, but...

It seems like the Russians are on board with this. This is not western Syria, where the Russians are bombing rebels fighting Assad, but northeastern Syria, where rebels and Kurds are fighting ISIS.

I just saw Lavrov on Al Jazeera saying Russia was cool with it.

He also said Russia would work with the non-terrorist opposition to achieve a political settlement.

Things are moving.

[roamer65]

16. We will see. I am not confident the Saudis and Qataris are on board.

The sticking point for them is Iran and its involvement in Iraq and Syria.

[newthinking]

23. That would seem to imply that it was the Kurds that were giving the arms?

It would be unusual since we have not really supported the Kurds, but it could potentially be a way to help push ISIS back from the north without "losing face"?

[Comrade Grumpy]

32. These are the Syrian Kurds, not the IRaqi ones.

In Iraq, the government in Baghdad runs the show, and arms go through them.

In Syria, we just provided arms to the Kurdish YPG, which is kind of weird, since they are the local affiliate of the Kurdish PKK, which wants to create a Kurdistan in southeastern Turkey, and which we and the Turks consider a "terrorist organization."

[CJCRANE]

34. On the downlow...

Apparently, soon after the Syrian Kurds got hold of a recent weapons drop, Turkey bombed them.

[Xolodno]

35. Going by memory...

...but the Kurds were okay with Assad sticking around as he promised them more autonomy (essentially de-facto self rule under the "umbrella" of Syria) if he survived.

Seems to me, the USA has agreed to back the Kurds. And lets be honest, of all the groups from Syria and Iraq, the Kurds have appeared to be the sane ones. And in my view, deserve their own nation.

This probably pisses Turkey off big time. Wonder if Obama after the election acknowledges the Armenian genocide.

[Plucketeer]

5. The LUNACY continues

I'd ALMOST give Obama a pass on this. When you consult with military advisers, you get military solutions.

[frizzled]

6. "Thanks, America" - Al Qaeda

I wish I was kidding.

[Fast Walker 52]

31. yep-- ISIS thanks us too

[daleo]

7. "Are those good guys or bad guys?"

"That one is waving. Must be good guys. Drop the weapons."

[azurnoir]

9. well gotta keep it going somehow

but don't give them anything too big, just give them enough to continue--on and on and on and on and on and on ............

[V0ltairesGh0st]

12. Putin more sane than the Pentagon for sure.

.... in this matter...but have no doubt Putin is no hero.

[Purveyor]

13. Some in the ME are starting to think he is: Amid Russian Airstrikes, A Putin Craze Takes Hold In Mid

Amid Russian Airstrikes, A Putin Craze Takes Hold In Mideast

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016134332

[roamer65]

17. The Saudi Wahhabi'ists hate his guts and have called for jihad on Russia.

They also do not like Iranian involvement. It gets uglier by the day over there.

[V0ltairesGh0st]

36. I do not trust those

who put their religion before the actual world they live in, period. This is why i gave up that primitive mindset. Most major world leaders share one thing in common...can you guess what it is ?

[Jesus Malverde]

22. "details about the groups"

I wouldn't want to admit arming jihadists either. Its embarrassing.

[uppityperson]

25. +1, I agree, etc

[CullenBohannon]

29. insane

Looks like we didn't learn our lesson, "moderate rebels" = usually wind up joining the jihadists. How about stepping back from this mess.

[Fast Walker 52]

30. Agreed! And funny you kicked this up, when I just posted the story again

[CJCRANE]

33. The only way to stop a bad terrorist with a gun...

...is to arm another terrorist with a gun.

(Who may end up giving it to the bad guy anyway).