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U.S. abandons Pentagon's failed rebel-building effort in Syria

24 Comments
By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR

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24 Comments
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We are still relearning the lessons from Vietnam.

1.) It's fruitless to try to train and equip an inferior force.

2.) You can never win a "limited war".

3.) Don't get involved in any armed conflict in which there is no direct threat to our country.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Russia’s muscular moves to launch ship-based cruise missile strikes and deploy fighter aircraft and battlefield weaponry — actions that caught the U.S. by surprise and underscored the failure of the Pentagon’s $500 million program to train and equip rebels.

Americans can finally thank Putin for something. The asinine idea that Americans want any part of the madhouse of the Middle East just shows the neocon job of 'nation building' isn't in ANY Americans best interest, unless that nation building is done in the States for the American People.

So, if Vlad wants to bankrupt Russia fighting the desert have at it. AWOL Bush's wars are still running with a thirty eight year mortgage left and Seven Trillion of wasted investment accomplishing absolutely nothing except making Halliburton a nice profit and getting Erik Prince a cushy job training the Chinese for their African operations.

As some have already stated, Bush's private war crimes of lies for his war profiteers' benefit led thousands to their deaths and did nothing for Americans. You go Vlad, rip ISIS a new one. You just saved Americans the complete incompetence of the CIA's endless blundering. Na Zdorovie!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Woops there goes another rubber tree

Overthrowing a country just to build gas and oil pipelines was never a good idea, especially when the main provider of gas to the EU, Russia, is an ally to that country.

The attempt to stabilize the region for these pipelines is now FUBAR. And that's a good thing IMO and the psychopathic warmongers in DC have just been handed their hat.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The interesting thing about this program is how many highly trained, well armed DAESH fighters it produced. The pretence that the folks who are willing to violently overthrow a widely supported (the Syrian government is a multiethnic, multireligious coalition headed by Assad, not the sort of dictatorship of one that the US wants people to think it is) are not extremists is pretty clearly exposed in the results of the program.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

the United States can not resist interfering where they are not wanted and are not needed, or at least attempting to interfere...in Syria and Iran they have made terrible errors and will not admit to being sadly mistaken.

Nobody in the United States government has the slightest notion of what is going on regarding the middle east and has no concept of Islam or the Muslim people yet they insisted on trying to "fix things" by jumping in and blowing up random places and random people....gee aren't we great!

and act all surprised and insulted when they are not appreciated....

2 ( +2 / -0 )

US$500,000,000 for about 5 active rebels.

so it's like US$100,000,000 a rebel.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It wasn't five vetted rebels. I believe the program aimed for 50,000 and actually trained around 50, reported on these pages recently. Same difference, though.

But when the Greek Archbishop of Aleppo welcomes the Russian strikes, you have to wonder what the West is even doing there in Syria.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/10/09/Archbishop-of-Syria-s-Aleppo-welcomes-Russia-strikes-.html

1 ( +1 / -0 )

“That’s exactly the kind of example that we would like to pursue with other groups in other parts of Syria going forward.”

The last time the Russian's supported one of their allies against Islamic fundamentalists covertly (and then overtly) backed by the US and it's allies (Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) it resulted in them being embroiled in a quagmire that bled their resources white and lead to the downfall of the Soviet Union. That was in Afghanistan where radical Islamists (and groups like Al Qaeda) got their start and it was those events that directly lead us to where we are today. So we've come full circle. The hawks in Washington must be over the (crescent) moon!!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Great leadership. Know when to cut your losses and stop.

Greek Archbishop of Aleppo welcomes the Russian strikes

Orthodox clergy approve of Russian military action? What a shock!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

.perhaps, those 5 rebels are some sort of Supermen or Ultra Ninjas now.

Yes, they wear Ironman suits.

I would visit a movie theater to watch a thriller about Wonderful Combat Adventures of Magic 5 !!!

They're called The Avengers.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Very well written article, thank you very much.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Still not learning are they? The Pentagon still wants to oust Assad.... by siding with more stable "rebel" groups.

Good thing so many others did, or you may not have ended up with the best president ever.

Nope, that's an overestimation of Obama's presidency. There are many things he could have dealt with a lot better if he didn't come across as naïve in certain situations. Let's just leave it at he was much, MUCH better than the alternative.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yet another Obama administration a accomplishment! Or more wealth distribution!

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

@ThePBot"US$500,000,000 for about 5 active rebels"

Let me guess...perhaps, those 5 rebels are some sort of Supermen or Ultra Ninjas now. Every rebel of that group can solely and by naked hands defeat an Army of enemies or something....What a wonderful American Invention ! I would visit a movie theater to watch a thriller about Wonderful Combat Adventures of Magic 5 !!! USA, USA, USA !!!

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

U.S. abandons Pentagon's failed rebel-building effort in Syria

Gee. . . what a fail for the incumbent administration. How to save face now? Oh- I know! Let's trump up some "loophole laws" which prohibit the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Why not. The mullahs didn't want any further dealings with the US once they got what they wanted anyway. Obama is getting played like a Milton Bradley game.

Putin, the Iranians and ISIS are probably LAUGHING their a**** off at this and this nut job.

Hey Bass, I am too. But hey, don't blame me. . . . I didn't vote for "change".

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

I didn't vote for "change".

Good thing so many others did, or you may not have ended up with the best president ever.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

"We don't have a strategy yet." ~ Barack Hussein Obama Obama is just going through the motion until it's the next president's problem.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

I love it when foreigners try to tell us what's "good or what's best." But when Americans opine about European politics, we should butt out or we just have NO clue. Thankfully, we don't need to take their opinions seriously. Once they live, work and pay US taxes, I might take heed to some of what they say, other than that. A big Yawn is what they get. 15 more months and this joker will be history like the dinosaurs.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

This is the problem when you lead from behind and you have NO clue to what you are doing. Maybe, just maybe if this president would for ONCE in his life, listen to his military senior advisors, he wouldn't keep making these embarrassing mistakes. Putin, the Iranians and ISIS are probably LAUGHING their a**** off at this and this nut job. But in the meantime we need to put more emphasis on the melting ice and kill more energy jobs for people. 395 days more until this madness is finally OVER!!!

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

Americans can finally thank Putin for something.

What's to thank? To dominate and influence the Middle East and possibly threatening our natural interests? That's something to be thankful for?

The asinine idea that Americans want any part of the madhouse of the Middle East just shows the neocon job of 'nation building' isn't in ANY Americans best interest, unless that nation building is done in the States for the American People.

Who said anything about nation building???!

So, if Vlad wants to bankrupt Russia fighting the desert have at it. AWOL Bush's wars are still running with a thirty eight year mortgage left and Seven Trillion of wasted investment accomplishing absolutely nothing except making Halliburton a nice profit and getting Erik Prince a cushy job training the Chinese for their African operations.

Don't forget to add Obama's war and unwillingness to engage the enemy, to engage ISIS and to ALLOW the Jihadists to run wild and his plan that wasted Trillions on how many of the Assad opposition forces were trained? Was it 5?

As some have already stated, Bush's private war crimes of lies for his war profiteers' benefit led thousands to their deaths and did nothing for Americans.

If Bush were are war criminal, he'd be sitting in prison, but Eric Holder, Yes, they Obama best buddy and homie couldn't find anything that would constitute as being criminal that would be enough to put him on trial and prosecute him, they tried, oh, did they, but in the end, they knew, it was all nothing but a smoking gun.

You go Vlad, rip ISIS a new one. You just saved Americans the complete incompetence of the CIA's endless blundering. Na Zdorovie!

At least for the next 15 months, Putin needs to hurry, after that, the yellow shirts will be gone!!

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

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