With the conflicts in Syria and Iraq becoming increasingly intertwined against the same Sunni extremist group, President Barack Obama moved on Thursday to ratchet up U.S. efforts to strengthen more moderate Syrian rebels. Obamas request to Congress for $500 million in training and arms to the opposition in effect opens a second front in the fight against militants spilling over Syrias border and threatening to overwhelm neighboring Iraq. The train-and-equip mission would be overseen by the Pentagon and would mark a significant expansion of previous covert effort to arm the more moderate rebels who are fighting both the extremists and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad....
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 00:10:00 +0000