(VOVworld)- On Monday, US military C-17 cargo planes dropped pallets arms ammunition and other items like hand grenades in Hasakah province in northern Syria to a coalition of rebel groups vetted by the US, known as the Syrian Arab Coalition. The delivery took place a few days after the US announced it was scrapping its 500 million USD training plan for moderate rebels. The delivery of ammunition has not had a visible effect yet but the situation in Syria is getting worse.
The Syrian Arab Coalition is comprised of Kurd militiamen and Arab groups like Jaysh al-Thuwwar and the Arab Jaysh al-Sanadeed tribe, who are fighting in northern Syria and helping the US and its allies to collect intelligence on IS ground targets. The Coalition now has between 4,000 and 5,000 gunmen.
Shifting from infeasible training to ammunition delivery
In an effort to fight IS, the US decided to spend 500 million USD to train 5,400 elite soldiers this year. But in the first half of the year, only 100 gunmen were trained, many fewer than US officials had expected. Only two thirds of these 100 gunmen have remained in the army to fight IS. Some of the trained soldiers even handed over weapons to Al Qeada.
Washington then changed its support approach in Syria to something more effective. It decided to deliver weapons to the opposition forces in Syria whose leaders are backed by the US. With regular weapon supply from the US, the Syrian Arab Coalition will launch operations in Raqqa city, the stronghold of IS in Syria.
By supplying weapons to the opposition in Syria, the US hopes to make the fight against IS more effective. But this effort has become ineffective. US Senator Chris Murphy said the US should have spent money to help the opposition address migration and humanitarian issues. In an article in the New York Times on October 9, commentator Andrew Rosenthal described the US’s plan to supply weapons to Syria as an illusion. Many observers agree that it would be hard for Washington to mobilize all rebels to fight IS.
The US delivery of weapons to Syria could become a disaster if the weapons fell into the hands of IS or some other terrorist group. Last week, Dzhebhat en Nusra soldiers of the Al Qeada group in Syria posted on the internet a number of photos of them with US rifles. Professor John Landis, an expert on Syria at Oklahoma University said between 60% and 80% of US weapons given to Syrian opposition forces are in the hands of Al Qeada group and its branches.
International experts have advised the US to wait for possible major developments on the battlefield rather than supplying weapons for the uprising forces. They called for a breakthrough diplomatic move that will pave the way for a united fight against IS in Syria.