Syrian Democratic Forces and Free Syrian Army fighters gesture on the back of pickup trucks in a village on the outskirts of al-Shadadi, in Hasakah countryside, Syria, Feb. 19, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Rodi Said)
The House voted for the first time today to explicitly authorize the incoming Donald Trump administration to arm vetted Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles.
While the language in the annual defense bill also creates restrictions on the provision of the controversial weapons, it represents a win for Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., a fervent advocate of helping the rebels resist President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies. The Senate is expected to pass the bill next week.
Until now, the transfer of man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADs, had been implicitly authorized in the absence of an outright ban. Critics, however, view the new provision as tantamount to a policy recommendation for the president-elect.
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Update: Congress is trying to send anti-aircraft missiles to Syria’s jihadist-infested rebellion (RARE)
WNU Editor: Supplying anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian rebels would be a huge mistake .... and one that I hope that both the current White House and the future Trump administration will not exercise.
