U.S. Cancelling Somewhat Secret CIA Program That Armed and Trained Syrian "Rebels"

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The White House has announced the end of it's not so secret, CIA program that was designed to train and arm new recruits for the Free Syrian Army, in an effort to oust Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Over a billion dollars have been dropped into this black op over the last four years and was an epic failure. Those that did make it through the training were either kidnapped by or freely joined Al-Qaeda and/or Al-Nusra, along with the equipment and weapons they were provided.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been pushing her Stop Arming Terrorists Act, in Congress, since January and more recently, been joined by Sen. Rand Paul in the Senate. Between the two of them, they managed to gather only 2% support for the Act. For an Act that spells out, in the simplest terms, that the United States, needs to Stop Arming Terrorists, should logically garner enormous support, from both sides of the aisle. Not so much.

Why would only 2% of Congress support such a straightforward bill, you might ask?

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A) The Syrian Rebels may feel betrayed?

B) The Military Industrial Complex may feel betrayed?

C) The US may lose some influence at the bargaining table without a fighting force in Syria?

D) The Military Industrial Complex and their bankers might stop funding the campaigns of politicians that supported the Act?

E) Russia/Syria/Iran would approve of such action?

F) All of the above?

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I'm going with (F). All of the above.

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The Free Syrian Army does feel betrayed:

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“We definitely feel betrayed,” said Gen. Tlass al-Salameh of Osoud al-Sharqiya, a group affiliated with the Free Syrian Army. Salameh and his deputies say that they have received CIA support to rout the Islamic State from areas of eastern Syria but that they have also fought battles against pro-government ­forces.

“It feels like we are being abandoned at a very difficult moment,” Salameh said. “It feels like they only wanted to help when we were fighting [the Islamic State]. Now that we are also fighting the regime, the Americans want to withdraw.”

I would feel betrayed as well. A band of young mercenaries, running about, playing war games with real weapons, sacking cities, all the rape and pillage you could get your hands on... What else is there in life? Someone of some sanity decided to pull the plug on all of this horse play and the band of mercenaries feel let down. Too bad, go home.

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The Military Industrial Complex may feel betrayed:

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Of course Big Military would feel betrayed when their wares are no longer needed to the tune of $250 million per year, for this Secret Program. Limiting their customers is not the way to treat the MIC, they need unlimited war to keep their stock prices high and bonus pool deep.

Military & Homeland Security Companies, Lobbyists, And Lawmakers All Profit From War. With trillions of tax dollars flowing to companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and even IBM, among others, companies that invest heavily in weapons, cyber security systems, and other technologies that are widely used in times of war would stand to lose a lot — if not everything — if all of a sudden, the United States chose to become a nation that stands for peace and free market principles.

Peace cannot be tolerated by the Military Industrial Complex, they have way too much capital invested in war machines that asphyxiate pilots and can't shoot straight. Who else is going to buy their crap if the US becomes a peacenik state?

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The US may lose some influence at the bargaining table without a fighting force in Syria?

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The whole point of fielding these mercenary armies in Syria was to get Assad to step down due to military and political pressure. If the US could bolster their men in the field, they could fight Syria to a stalemate and force negotiations with all the powers involved, ultimately removing Assad. With Assad out, then the US could install a puppet, who would OK the Qatari Natural Gas Pipeline through Syria and on to Europe. While at the same time, stopping Iran from doing the same thing. All that Nat Gas comes from the same field in the Persian Gulf, that is split by the two countries, Iran and Qatar.

That is what this entire war is about. Getting a US backed pipeline to supply Europe with Nat Gas and then cut off the demand for the Russian Gas. Obviously that game has run it's course. Iran, Russia and Syria have decimated the mercenary armies to the point that there is zero reason for the US to have even one soldier in Syria. In reality, the US didn't have any influence in Syria in the first place.

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The Military Industrial Complex's lobbyists and bankers might stop funding the campaigns of politicians that supported the Stop Arming Terrorists Act?

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Congressional figures could not dare be seen fraternizing with these hippy politicians that are speaking all of this peace and love beatnik crap. In order to get your proper funding for your next run at office, you better check with the bosses(lobbyists) as to what positions that you should take. Without the support of the big banks and big military, politicians might actually have to go out to the people and fund raise that way. That sounds pedantic.

Russia/Syria/Iran would approve of such action?

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Yes they would.

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With that said, this whole story illustrates the bought nature of politicians in the US. It took the President and his CIA director to step in and end this very failed program. Congress could only muster 2% support for a bill that would've done away with the program and blocked the military/CIA from doing it again in the future.

In the US, all we ever hear about is "The War on Terror" and the need to eradicate such forces. The whole time, the US is continuing to disregard sovereign borders, using an Authorization for War from 2001, that was aimed at stopping Al-Qaeda. The same group that the US had trained, funded and armed for the past six years in Syria. You can't make this stuff up and the Media will never question the narrative. The hypocrisy needs to come to an end.

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What are your thoughts on President Trump ending this program?

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Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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http://www.mintpressnews.com/lawmakers-support-stop-arming-terrorists-act/229197/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/world/middleeast/cia-arming-syrian-rebels.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syrian-rebels-feel-betrayed-by-us-decision-to-end-cia-support-it-will-weaken-americas-influence/2017/07/20/6476f252-6cbc-11e7-abbc-a53480672286_story.html?utm_term=.7a00ed590d8f

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/07/25/dem_rep_tulsi_gabbard_president_trump_ended_obama_era_program_which_funded_al-qaeda_in_syria.html