Has The US Abandoned The Syrian Rebels?

A fighter from the Free Syrian Army's al-Rahman legion walks towards his position on the frontline against the forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Jobar, a suburb of Damascus, Syria. BASSAM KHABIEH/REUTERS

The Hill: Experts fear US abandoning Syrian rebels

The Obama administration is allowing moderate Syrian rebels, which the U.S. spent hundreds of millions training and equipping, to be slowly destroyed, experts warn.

The groups are targeted by Russian air strikes, and new attacks from a Kurdish militia known as the YPG that's also backed by the U.S.

The attacks have led to criticism that the administration is standing by while its allies are killed. But the debate also highlights the confusing nature of the Syrian conflict, and the difficulties the Obama administration has faced in finding local forces on the ground in Syria.

"You can use the cliche of choice -- it's a deal with the devil or beggars can't be choosers," said Frederic C. Hof, who served as President Obama's special adviser for the transition in Syria.

The administration launched the CIA program to train and equip the rebels with hopes of building a moderate Sunni ground force in Syria that would pressure the regime of Bashar Assad to negotiate a political solution. Officials also believed that force could help enforce the peace under a new Syrian government.

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WNU Editor: Considering what is happening on the ground .... and pleas from the Syrian rebels for support .... one has to come to the conclusion that they have been abandoned. What also does not help is the infighting that is now happening .... further discouraging any U.S. desire to provide support .... America Is Now Fighting A Proxy War With Itself In Syria (Buzz Feed).