US May not Protect its Trained Syrian Gunmen against Russia

Local Editor

US training camp

The US will not guarantee the protection of Syrian trained gunmen that were included in the 'train-and-equip' program against Russian airstrikes, but it can help them to fight the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group, a Pentagon official said Thursday.

“It's a war there, so, I mean, we can't protect everyone from everything, but as these forces engage ISIL, we are there with them to help destroy ISIL,” according to Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.

Warren’s comments came a day after Russia began airstrikes in Syria.

The focus of the trained groups is to fight ISIL, Warren said, and as long as they go after the militants, the coalition would provide support in the form of airstrikes.

He implied that if the trained gunmen decide to break away from the stated mission and engage other groups or even go after Assad, they would be essentially on their own.

Warren insists Russian airstrikes would not affect coalition efforts there but since Moscow began air operations, coalition airstrikes have decreased. Moscow insists its military presence in Syria is to target ISIL and fortify Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government against terror groups.