US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter confirmed on Thursday that the Pentagon has begun the process of training what he called “moderate opposition” forces in Syria, including a “company sized” group of 90 “highly vetted” individuals. Another similar group is scheduled to begin training soon. However, with events on the ground in Syria and Iraq moving so fast, some critics questioned the usefulness of such a small and slow-moving program, even as questions remained over what kind of support the US-trianed forces would receive once they engaged in battle with the Islamic State (IS) terror militia or any other hostile factions. “We have not determined yet all the rules of engagement under those circumstances,” Carter acknowledged. Meanwhile, IS launched a new offensive Thursday against Iraq’s largest oil refinery complex near the city of Baiji, as troops loyal to the Baghdad regime struggled to avoid being annihilated there. Read More
