Statement by Senator John McCain on Pentagon's Proposed Training Program for Syrian Opposition

Statement

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement in response to a Wall Street Journal report revealing that the Pentagon's planned training and equipping program for the Syrian opposition offers little support to opposition forces fighting the Assad regime:

"If true, yesterday's Wall Street Journal report on the Pentagon's proposed training and equipping program for the Syrian opposition is deeply troubling. As described, the current proposal would seem to provide too little support to too few opposition fighters, and it would take too long to do it. Obviously such a program would be too modest to change the dynamics on the battlefield and would do little or nothing to stop the Assad regime's airstrikes and use of barbaric barrel bombs against civilian populations in Syria.

"Time is of the essence, especially in the face of President Bashar al-Assad's dangerous advance on the city of Aleppo. Aided by Hezbollah and Iranian troops, Assad's forces are encircling the city. They have already cut off vital supply routes to opposition forces and are denying civilians basic necessities like food, water, and medicine. The government will starve people, they will bomb people, and they will destroy any neighborhood that resists. We saw this in Homs, and we will see it again in Aleppo.

"It is a moral outrage to watch the destruction of what remains of Aleppo and refuse to do more to help those who fight against our enemies in the region. We must offer quick support to the moderate opposition as they battle both the Assad regime and extremists from the Islamic State before it is too late. Providing these opposition forces with the support they need is essential to easing the suffering of the Syrian people and protecting U.S. national security interests."

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