US Senator McCain meets Syrian rebels in Turkey (anti-armor and anti-air capabilities and support for creating a safe zone in Syria)

U.S. Senator John McCain met with members of the Syrian opposition in the southern province of Gaziantep in Turkey on June 1.

Following his meeting with representatives from the Syrian National Council (SNC), the rebel interim government, civil society activists, and commanders from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the senator called for a strategy to provide greater support to Syrian opposition as parts of efforts to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS).
Following his meetings with the rebels, McCain issued a statement saying he had been given firsthand accounts of the “deteriorating security and humanitarian situation on the ground inside Syria, and how the recent offensive by ISIL in Iraq is shifting dynamics on the battlefield in favor of extremists in both countries.”

He added that the Syrian opposition was fighting a two-front war against the al-Assad regime on the one side and al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist organizations like ISIL on the other.

“We need a strategy that can force al-Assad to leave power and defeat ISIL in both Syria and Iraq, and that strategy should start with greater support to these Syrian opposition forces, especially vital military training and assistance, such as anti-armor and anti-air capabilities and support for creating a safe zone in Syria,” the senator said.

Further reluctance to support moderate Syrian opposition in fighting more effectively against both the Syrian regime and ISIL will “only fuel the growing danger that the current threats in Syria and Iraq now pose to the U.S. and our national interests,” he added.

Syrian National Coalition President Ahmad Jarba and the leader of the Free Syrian Army, Brig. Gen. Abdul-Ilah al-Bashir, held talks in Washington in May urging members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to authorize the supply of arms, particularly for anti-aircraft weapons. However, the Obama administration is worried that such weapons could fall into the hands of extremist opposition groups such as ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra. 
 [hurriyetdailynews.com]
2/7/14
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Related:
 

• Kerry issues warning after Syria bombs Iraq (other nations should stay out)

• Obama downplays threat by Islamic militants in Iraq (2,000 "fighters" holding Western passports)

• Israel’s Netanyahu warns Obama on working with Iran in Iraq (enemies are fighting each other)

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• Syria's Assad says "terror" will strike West

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