Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., Sept. 16, 2014. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Hinton

Pentagon Yet To Decide On Syrian Rebel Force Central To Isis Offensive -- The Guardian

US military officials consider raising trustworthy rebel force to destroy Isis on the ground without committing US soldiers

Two weeks after US warplanes began bombing Islamic State (Isis) positions in Syria, the Pentagon leadership has yet to make critical decisions about building the proxy rebel force central to its plan for taking territory away from the jihadist army.

US military officials consider raising a Syrian rebel force crucial for the war aim of ultimately destroying Isis without committing US soldiers and marines to another bloody Middle East ground war. But the Pentagon has yet to even assign a US officer to the task of determining which rebels are trustworthy and capable enough to comprise that force.

“No decision has been made as to who will lead the programme,” commander Elissa Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman, confirmed to the Guardian.

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Update: Pentagon can’t decide which rebels to train in Syria -- RT

My Comment: The Saudis are apparently already training 5,000 rebels .... Saudis launch U.S.-backed training for 5,000 Syrian rebels (World Tribune) .... but these rebels are to fight Assad's army, not the Islamic State. As to which Syrian rebel force will the U.S. support .... the U.S. training/support teams are already there .... but I suspect that the reason why the U.S. is not rushing into this program is that they just do not know who to trust ... or more to the point .... they are having trouble finding allies who will support U.S. goals and who will take the U.S. lead in the war against the Islamic State. As to not appointing someone to head this program .... I do no know about that .... after-all .... isn't that suppose to be this Generals' job?

Update: The lack of having a reliable ally on the ground is becoming costly .... Here's The Major Reason Why ISIS Is About To Take A Critical Kurdish City In Syria (Business Insider).