What's Behind U.S. Mission 'Shift' Into Syria?

What's Behind U.S. Mission 'Shift' Into Syria?

by HALIMAH ABDULLAH

Military and foreign policy experts say the shift in strategy against ISIS announced by the White House is overdue, but warned that it might not be enough.

The White House announced on Friday it would put fewer than 50 special operations forces into Syria to work with moderate opposition groups fighting ISIS. The move came amid criticism that the U.S. strategy for defeating ISIS through airstrikes and training local fighters hasn't worked.

Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow and national security specialist at the Brookings Institution, told NBC News that the evidence has been mounting for some time.

"Clearly, our Syria strategy has been failing for four years," he said. "The renewed tensions in U.S.-Turkey collaboration, the lack of progress in establishing a safe zone in the north and working together with the Kurds, and now the Russian intervention have underscored how much of a dilemma we face."

"So while some of us have viewed the situation in Syria as very serious for a long time, it is increasingly hard for the administration even to attempt to argue otherwise," he said.

The White House stressed Friday that the military moves were an "expansion" rather than a "change" in U.S. strategy against ISIS.

The special operations forces could work with Kurdish and allied actors who have come together under the umbrella of the "Syrian Democratic Forces," according to a senior U.S. official.

"It will not be their responsibility to lead the charge up the hill," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters, acknowledging that the commandos will be in a perilous situation. "There is no denying the amount of risk that they are taking on here."

Retired Army Col. Jack Jacobs, a military analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, said that it is possible the number of U.S. forces needed and the time required to complete the mission could increase over time.

It's not clear how much of the administration's announcement was about something new or an admission of something that's already occurring, said Kevin Baron, a national security and military analyst for NBC News.

Related: Pentagon Ends Program to Train Syrian Rebels, Starts Revamped Initiative

"This has been brewing, the idea the Pentagon wants to talk about the way the war has been executed," said Baron, who is editor of Defense One.

"A few things forced their hand," he added.

One of those things was the circumstances surrounding the death of Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, killed during a raid by U.S. and Kurdish commandos in Iraq on a prison where ISIS was holding captives.

Related: Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, U.S. Commando Killed in ISIS Raid, Ran to Gunfight

After months of denying that U.S. troops would be in any combat role in Iraq, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter late last week acknowledged that the situation U.S. soldiers found themselves in during the raid in Hawija was combat.

"This is combat and things are complicated," Carter said, telling the Senate Armed Services committee that the U.S. will begin "direct action on the ground" against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria in an attempt to increase pressure on the terror group.

The White House on Friday again stressed the administration has "no intention of long term ground combat."

Earnest drew a contrast between the "large scale, long-term combat operation in Iraq" under former President George W. Bush and the Obama administration's mission in Syria.

Obama "does not believe that that military option was in our best interest and he does not believe that that is something we should do again," Earnest told reporters on Friday.

 "So that is why our special operations personnel inside of Syria have a very different mission ... to build the capacity of local forces so they can be even more effective," he said.

Such distinctions are going to be a key part of White House messaging and strategy, military and foreign policy experts said.

 "This is the way the war on terrorism is going to be fought and is going to be fought for the foreseeable future," Baron said.

 "What's going to change is the way the Obama administration talks about it."

U.S. to Deploy SOF in Syria for "train, advise and assist mission" : 31 10 2015

U.S. to Deploy Special Operations Forces in Syria: Officials 
by RICHARD ENGEL, KRISTEN WELKER and CASSANDRA VINOGRAD







The U.S. will send a small number of U.S. special operations forces into Syria as part of a shift in its strategy against ISIS, White House officials announced Friday.

President Barack Obama has authorized a contingent of fewer than 50 commandos to deploy into northern Syria and work with moderate opposition forces who are fighting the militants.

While the White House has consistently said it would not put U.S. boots on the ground, spokesman Josh Earnest insisted that they will be there in a "train, advise and assist mission" — and not in a combat role.

"It will not be their responsibility to lead the charge up the hill," he said. But he acknowledged they will be in a perilous situation: "There is no denying the amount of risk they are taking on here."

Earnest called the additional forces an "expansion" but not a "change" in U.S. strategy against ISIS. He was unable to detail what the special operators will do, citing security concerns.

He also didn't deny the suggestion that the increase in forces would not turn the situation around in Syria, where President Bashar Assad remains in power.

Obama "has been quite clear that there is no military solution to the problems that are plaguing Iraq and Syria — it's a diplomatic one," Earnest said.

A senior U.S. official earlier told NBC News that the special operations forces will work alongside groups with a "proven track record" of fighting ISIS.

That could include working with Kurdish and allied actors who have come together under the umbrella of the "Syrian Democratic Forces," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity before the announcement was made.

Rep. Mac Thornberry, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said the expected announcement made clear the White House was feeling the pressure of a "failed policy" against ISIS.

"I'm concerned that the administration is trying to put in place limited measures — too late — that are not going to make a difference," he told NBC News. "I don't see a strategy towards accomplishing a goal, I see an effort to run out the clock without disaster."

Obama and his administration have come under mounting pressure amid signs the anti-ISIS coalition has stalled or at least failed to turn the tide against the militants — including the recent Pentagon decision to abandon a failed program to train and equip Syrian rebels.

Small signs of a sea change in strategy have been filtering out in recent weeks and gained steam in the wake of a U.S.-backed raid to free ISIS hostages that cost the life of a Delta Force commando.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter warned earlier this week that to expect more such raids when he told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon would be stepping up attacks against ISIS — including through "direct action on the ground" in Iraq and Syria.

Carter's remarks — in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee — immediately raised eyebrows given repeated assurances from Obama that U.S. troops in the region would not engage in combat.

The defense secretary himself referred to the aforementioned raid as "combat," where "things are complicated," in his comments to the committee.

After news of the announcement first leaked, at least one member of the Senate Armed Services Committee questioned how Congress has "failed" to perform one of its most fundamental duties — to debate and vote on the authorization of military force.

"The decision of whether to place citizens in harm's way in defense of this nation — to declare war — must be made by the people through their elected representatives," Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a statement. "It is time for Congress to do its most solemn job — to debate and declare war."

Earnest said at Friday's news briefing that Congress had already given the executive branch in 2001 the right to take action in fighting terrorists. In addition, he said, the Obama administration has been pushing this year for Congress to take up legislation that authorizes the U.S. to formally fight ISIS, but lawmakers have been skeptical.

The U.S. currently has around 3,300 troops in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces and protect U.S. facilities.

Earnest said Friday that Obama spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi by telephone earlier to assure him of the U.S.'s commitment to destroying ISIS. He added that it was too soon to announce whether the U.S. would increase the special operations forces in Iraq as it is doing in Syria.

"I certainly wouldn't rule out something like that could be a possibility if it continues to be an element of our strategy" that works, Earnest said.

Pentagon Ends Program to Train Syrian Rebels OCT 9 2015

OCT 9 2015, 11:45 AM ET
Pentagon Ends Program to Train Syrian Rebels, Starts Revamped Initiative
by JIM MIKLASZEWSKI, ERIK ORTIZ and LAURA SARAVIA









LONDON — The Pentagon on Friday announced it was ending its failed $500 million program to "train and equip" Syrian rebels and replacing it with a far less ambitious plan, defense officials said.

The "training" part of the program — which managed to field only "four or five" Syrian rebels into the battle against ISIS at a $50 million price tag — has been halted, according to senior defense officials.

Instead of combat training for the rebels, they will now be used as "enablers" to identify ISIS targets on the ground for U.S. and coalition airstrikes. They will also be advised on how to interact with U.S. military "at a distance," and there will be no American forces on the ground in Syria

The "equip" part of the program, which provided small arms, ammunition and vehicles, will be dramatically reduced to providing weapons to some 5,000 friendly moderate Syrian rebels to carry on the fight against both ISIS and presumably, the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The remaining $450 million will be spent on this scaled back plan.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed the immediate move, and said he believes the revamped initiative will help "increase the combat power" of the anti-ISIS fighters in Syria and stop them from advancing.

But many of the weapons and vehicles provided to the first group of Syrian rebels had quickly fallen into the hands of enemy forces, such as the al Qaeda-backed Al Nusra Front.

The initial "train and assist" program aimed at aiding and equipping 54,000 moderate rebels by the end of this year. As of now, that number is somewhere around 100, and only a handful of them have actually been engaged in any combat operations against enemy forces.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said coalition forces have relied on other efforts to crush the Islamist militants, including supporting the counter-ISIS fighters in Kobani in northern Syria, where they recaptured a key border crossing and held off ISIS.

Carter, speaking to reporters in London on Friday, said the U.S. "remains committed" to the idea of training rebel forces but said officials "have been looking now for several weeks at ways to improve" the current program.

"I wasn't satisfied with the efforts on that regard, so we are looking at different ways to achieve basically to the same kind of strategic objective," he said. "We have devised a number of different approaches to that moving forward, and President Obama ... I think we will be hearing very shortly from him in that regard." 

யாழ் முஸ்லிம்கள் ஆணைக்குழு அமைக்க கோரிக்கை

முதலமைச்சர் அவர்களே முஸ்லிம்களுக்காக ஆணைக்குழு அமைக்க பரிந்துரை செய்யுங்கள் : யாழில் கவனயீர்ப்பு போராட்டம்

யாழ். மாவட்டத்திலிருந்து கடந்த 25 வருடங்களுக்கு முன்னர் முஸ்லிம்கள் வெளியேற்றப்பட்டதை  நினைவுகூரும் வகையில் யாழ். முஸ்லிம் மக்கள் இன்று கவனயீர்ப்பு போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டனர்.

குறித்த கவனயீர்ப்பில்

1990ஆம் ஆண்டு வடமாகாண முஸ்லீம்களின் ``இனச்சுத்திகரிப்பு``,30-10-1990 கரி நாள் மறக்கவோ மன்னிக்கவோ முடியாது!

முதலமைச்சர் விக்னேஸ்வரன் அவர்களே யாழ்.முஸ்லிம்களுக்காக ஆணைக்குழு அமைக்க பரிந்துரை செய்யுங்கள்!

யாழ் அரச அதிகாரிகளே முஸ்லிம்கள் குடியேற உதவி செய்யுங்கள்!

எம்மை வெளியேற்றி என்ன பலன் கிடைத்தது!

போன்ற முழக்கங்கள் அடங்கிய பதாதைகளையும் ஏந்தியவாறு போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்டனர்.

கறுப்பு ஒக்ரோபர்- மாபெரும் குற்றம்!

75000 இஸ்லாமியத் தமிழர்களை சமூக நீக்கம் செய்த பழிக்கு பொறுப்பெடுப்போம்!

கறுப்பு ஒக்ரோபர் நினைவாக அரைக் கம்பத்தில் ஈழ தேசியக் கொடி!

வேடம் கலையும் ரணில் மைத்திரி நல்லாட்சி நாடகம்!

பல்கலைக்கழக மானியங்கள் ஆணைக்குழு முன்பாக இன்று (29-10-2015), மாணவர்களால் முன்னெடுக்கப்பட்ட அமைதி ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்தின் மீது, நல்லாட்சி வேடம் பூண்ட ரணில் மைதிரி பாசிச அரசின் , ஏவல்படை,மற்றும் கலகம் அடக்கும் படை  கண்ணீர்ப் புகைப் பிரயோகம், விசைத் தண்ணீர்வீச்சு  மற்றும் குண்டாந் தடியடி தாக்குதல்களை நடத்தி மாணவர் குரலை வன்முறை மூலம் நசுக்கியுள்ளது.

போராடக்கூடாது என எச்சரித்து ``பாடம் கற்பித்துள்ளது``!

அனைத்து உயர் தேசிய கணக்காளர் பாடநெறிக்கான மாணவர் ஒன்றியம் நடத்திய ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்தின் மீதே இந்த தாக்குதல்கள் நடத்தப்பட்டுள்ளன.

ஆர்ப்பாட்டத்தில் ஈடுபட்ட  39 மாணவர்கள் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

இவர்களில் 32 மாணவர்களும்,  5 மாணவிகளும் 2 பிக்கு மாணவர்களும் அடங்குவதாக காவல்துறையினர் தகவல் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.

அமைதியாக ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் நடத்திய அனைத்து உயர் தேசிய கணக்காளர் பாடநெறிக்கான மாணவர் ஒன்றிய மாணவர்கள் மீது ரணில் மைத்திரி பாசிச அரசு கட்டவிழ்த்த வன்முறைத் தாக்குதலை புதிய ஈழப் புரட்சியாளர்களாகிய நாம் வன்மையாகக் கண்டிக்கின்றோம்!

கைது செய்யப்பட்ட அனைத்து மாணவர்களையும் உடனடியாக விடுதலை செய்யக் கோருகின்றோம்!

மாணவர் கோரிக்கைகளுக்கு மதிப்பளித்து தீர்வை முன்வைக்க வேண்டுகின்றோம்!

தமிழீழ மக்கள் சார்பில் எதிர்கட்சித் தலைவர் சிங்கக் கொடி அகிம்சைச் சம்பந்தன் இந்த வன்முறையை கண்டிக்க வேண்டுமென கட்டளை இடுகின்றோம்.

புதிய ஈழப்புரட்சியாளர்கள்

கழக கூட்டமைப்புக்களின் ஈழப்பொதுக்கூட்டம்

26-10-2015 மாலை 4-30 மணியளவில்

இடம்:இண்டூர் பேரூந்து நிறுத்தம் அருகில்

இப்பொதுக்கூட்டத்தில் சுமார் 10 இற்கும் மேற்பட்ட ஈழ ஆதரவு அமைப்புக்களின் பேச்சாளர்கள் உரையாற்ற உள்ளதுடன் கலை நிகழ்வுகளும் இடம்பெறவுள்ளது.

உரையாற்றும் ஈழ ஆதரவு அமைப்பினர்

ஈழம் வாழ்,தமிழகம் வாழ், புலம் பெயர் வாழ் தமிழீழ மக்களே, தமிழகத்தில்  இந்திய விரிவாதிக்க எதிர்ப்பு, ஜனநாயக விடுதலை இயங்கங்களோடு அணி சேருங்கள்!

அணிதிரள்க!                                                                                       ஆதரவு தருக!

புதிய ஈழப் புரட்சியாளர்கள்

Elimination of LTTE leadership justified by foreign experts

Elimination of LTTE leadership justified by foreign experts

*C4 News allegations credible

*Previous govt delayed investigations

*P’karan legitimate military target like Osama

*Wiki Leaks can be used to defend GoSL

* No basis for genocide charge

October 24, 2015, 7:48 am
by Shamindra Ferdinando

The Second Mandate of Paranagama Commission prepared after having obtained international legal and military opinion has strongly justified the killing or capturing of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during the final phase of the Vanni offensive.

Troops recovered Prabhakaran’s body on the morning of May 19, 2009, on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon.

The Commission faulted UNSG Ban Ki-moon’s Panel of Expert (PoE) for failing to examine government military strategy to free civilian hostages and bring an immediate end to three decades long war.

The International Legal Advisory Council comprised Sir Desmond de Silva, QC (UK), Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC (UK) and Prof. David M. Crane (US). The Council had the support of a panel of international experts, including retd Maj. Gen. John Holmes,

one-time commanding officer of UK’s elite Special Air Services (SAS) Regiment.

The Commission compared Sri Lanka targeting Prabhakaran to that of US-led Western powers targeting Al Qaeda leader Osama-bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Justifying the Sri Lankan project to target, capture or kill Prabhakaran, the Commission had

emphasised that he was a legitimate military target like Osama-bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. The Commission has asserted that as far as the Sri Lankan effort to rescue hostages was concerned, Prabhakaran’s elimination could brought immediate relief to the trapped population in contrast to bin Laden’s death.

The US troops shot dead bin Laden on May 2, 2011.

The Commission cited absence of terrorist attacks since May 19, 2009 to justify previous government’s strategy. The Commission asserted that the LTTE used civilian shields in a bid to thwart the military from targeting Prabhakaran, hence creating a challenging task for the military, namely in rescuing civilians and either killing or capturing the LTTE leadership.

While strongly denying allegations that the government had deliberately targeted the Vanni civilian population in accordance with an overall plan to annihilate them, the Commission has asserted that the military acted decisively to save the people trapped on the war front. Maj. General Holmes has asserted that had the annihilation of over 290,000 been the advancing army’s objective, it could have been achieved within two or three days. The SAS veteran has said that Sri Lanka had the wherewithal to massacre the population in days.

However, the Commission has strongly recommended what it calls judge-led investigations to verify allegations made by various parties including the British media outfit the Channel 4 News. While criticizing C4 News for not providing original video footage of the alleged battlefield executions to enable the government to conduct investigations, the Commission asserted: "... despite some opinions to the contrary, the weight of independent analysis of the video footage suggests the images are unlikely to be faked. The Commission is mindful of the fact that forensic pathology and other corroborative expert evidence support the video footage as genuine."

The Commission stressed that individual cases highlighted by the British media outfit underscored the urgent need for a credible judge-led investigation by the Sri Lankan government. Declining to exclude the possibility of battlefield executions as claimed by the British media outfit, the Commission has warned that in case the accusations were proven, an accountability mechanism was required. The Commission has faulted the previous government and the army for failing to complete investigations into Channel 4 News allegations in spite of an assurance given during the 25th Geneva session in 2014.

The Commission has questioned the offensive being called a humanitarian mission in the wake of Channel 4 accusations. The Commission stressed that in fact the last phase of the campaign had been meant to eliminate the top LTTE leadership, which the expert body called a legitimate military target.

Referring to LTTE efforts to save its leadership at the expense of the civilian interests, the Commission has cited several US diplomatic cables leaked by Wiki Leaks to prove the US and ICRC awareness of ground realities, particularly efforts made by the army to minimize civilian casualties. Having studied a considerable number of disclosed Wiki Leaks cables pertaining to Sri Lanka, the Commission has pointed out that the UK court had upheld that the Wiki Leaks cables could be admissible in court.

Hence, the assertion was that the Wiki Leaks cables could be brought before judge-led investigation to examine accountability issues. The Commission has pointed out that the US cleared Sri Lanka of crimes against humanity on the basis of information received from the ICRC as revealed by another leaked US diplomatic cable.

Commenting on the alleged execution of surrendering LTTE personnel a few days before the conclusion of the war, the Commission has called for a judge-led investigation. The investigation should examine all victims named in various Channel 4 News documentaries, disappearance of busloads of persons who had surrendered to the army as well as attacks on hospital and makeshift hospital facilities. However, in the case of last allegation, the investigation should take into consideration the LTTE positioning heavy weapons in close proximity to hospitals, the Commission has said.