WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s plan to destroy ISIL in Syria has begun with the identification of targets inside Syria, according to administration officials. Airstrikes are expected to follow. But the foundation of the strategy — arming and training Syrians to fight the ground war — may be more difficult than it seems.
WTOP contacted two long-time members the Free Syrian Army to discuss their view of the struggle against ISIL. Both, who requested anonymity for security reasons, acknowledged that after years of fighting and losing a civil war against the Assad regime, they — like many others — reluctantly gave up.
The former fighters now live in Lebanon and Turkey, fearful of staying in Syria.
The keystone of the White House plan to eliminate the global threat from ISIL is getting what it calls the “moderate Syrian opposition” involved.
“We’ve worked exhaustively through a range of communications channels, with our partners and allies to understand who the members of the opposition are,” Deputy White House spokesman Shawn Turner, told WTOP.
The process includes more than just compiling a list of those willing to fight ISIL. Turner said the U.S. government needs to know “what they stand for and what they’re willing to do to play a role in this effort that we all have to undertake.”
Synergy is crucial.
“We’re going to make sure than any element of the opposition that we work with is full vetted and focused on what we’re focused on,” said Turner.
However the U.S. has learned collaboration can be costly.
In Afghanistan, the U.S. military has been dogged by repeated insider attacks by Afghan troops against U.S. and Western coalition partners. The attacks have resulted in almost 100 coalition deaths since 2007, according to military statistics.
Thoroughly recruiting, vetting, training and equipping rebels inside Syria to successfully repel and defeat ISIL could take years.
Turner said, “It’s not the type of mission that you carry out overnight. It’s going to require a holistic and unified approach that takes place at an international, regional and local level.”
A retired Marine, Turner said it took ISIL a while to dig in and it’s going to take a special effort to dig them out.
“It’s an effort that’s going to have to combine military, law enforcement, intelligence, economic and even diplomatic tools.”
But the U.S. mission does not have the luxury of time. U.S. intelligence officials have advised Obama to move swiftly against ISIL because of the group’s allegation that it has operatives inside the U.S. and beyond.
In order to disrupt ISIL’s ability to operate, Pentagon officials say they are prepared to go after them wherever they are.
“If ISIL is in Iraq, we will strike and kill them there. If ISIL is in Syria, we will strike and kill them there,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said in an interview.
The key, according to Warren, is funding.
“We’ve asked Congress for $500 million to be used for training and vetting of the moderate opposition.”
Warren said before the vetting can begin, the money has to be approved. Only then can important questions be answered. They include, “where the training will be conducted, what the size of the American training cadre will be and how long it will take.”
Even after funding is approved, Warren said they are aware the vetting may be a complicated process.
“We acknowledge that the moderate opposition has shifted overtime. And we do have inroads with some elements, but what we need now are resources to be able to get a very detailed and close look at what the opposition looks like.”
The two former Free Syrian Army fighters WTOP spoke with agree the stakes are high, but their views on fighting ISIL alongside the Assad regime are divergent. One said, “It’s necessary.” The other, still angry about the carnage caused by the regime, said, “I will never do it”.
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