Page 3 - ATD21NOV2015

U.S. NEWS A3
Saturday 21 November 2015

U.S. lawmakers say forget Assad, focus on IS

In this June 2, 2011 file photo, Rep. Austin Scott, R- Ga., left, is: I do not foresee a situa- had foundered — so much Some CIA-supported reb-
tion in which we can end so that over the summer, els had been captured;
the civil war in Syria while some in Congress pro- others had defected to ex-
Assad remains in power,” posed cutting its budget. tremist groups.q
Obama said.
walks on Capitol Hill in Washington. In an unusual alliance, Since 2013, the CIA has
trained an estimated
10,000 fighters, although
the number still fighting with
so-called moderate forces
is unclear. CIA-backed
rebels in Syria, who had be-
gun to put serious pressure
on Assad’s forces, are now
under Russian bombard-
ment with little prospect of
rescue by their American
patrons, U.S. officials say.
For years, the CIA effort

Austin and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, right, have teamed

up to urge the Obama administration to stop trying to

overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad and focus all its efforts

on destroying Islamic State militants. Associated Press

DEB RIECHMANN authorized after the terror-
Associated Press ist attack on 9/11. The sec-
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an ond war is the illegal war to
unusual alliance, a House overthrow the Syrian gov-
Democrat and Republican ernment of Assad.”
have teamed up to urge Scott said, “Working to re-
the Obama administration move Assad at this stage
to stop trying to overthrow is counter-productive to
Syrian President Bashar what I believe our primary
Assad and focus all its ef- mission should be.”
forts on destroying Islamic Publicly, the United States
State militants. has focused its efforts
Reps. Tulsi Gabbard, a on fighting IS and urging
Democrat, and Austin Assad to step down. But
Scott, a Republican, intro- beyond thousands of U.S.
duced legislation on Friday airstrikes targeting IS in the
to end what they called an region, the CIA began a
“illegal war” to overthrow covert operation in 2013 to
Assad, the leader of Syria arm, fund and train a mod-
accused of killing tens of erate opposition to Assad.
thousands of Syrian citizens The secret CIA program is
in a more than four-year- the only step the U.S. is tak-
old civil war entangled in a ing on Assad militarily.
battle against IS extremists, In the Philippines on Thurs-
also known as ISIS. day for the Asia Pacific
“The U.S. is waging two wars Economic Cooperation
in Syria,” Gabbard said. summit, President Barack
“The first is the war against Obama reiterated Amer-
ISIS and other Islamic ex- ica’s demand that Assad
tremists, which Congress must go. “The bottom line