U.S. Training for Syrian Rebels to Begin

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the U.S. training mission for Syrian rebels will begin this week in Turkey, training 300 rebels at a time and as many as 2,000 by the end of the year. The program is planned to expand to training sites in other participating countries soon, but there is disagreement ...

472148682
472148682

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the U.S. training mission for Syrian rebels will begin this week in Turkey, training 300 rebels at a time and as many as 2,000 by the end of the year. The program is planned to expand to training sites in other participating countries soon, but there is disagreement within the international coalition about what the goal of the rebels should be.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the U.S. training mission for Syrian rebels will begin this week in Turkey, training 300 rebels at a time and as many as 2,000 by the end of the year. The program is planned to expand to training sites in other participating countries soon, but there is disagreement within the international coalition about what the goal of the rebels should be.

In Iraq, the Islamic State is tightening its siege of the Bayji oil refinery. Iraqi forces there say that they are running low on supplies and in need of reinforcements. One told reporters by phone that he was saving his last bullet for himself because “It’s an easier way to die than being beheaded.” The Islamic State also issued a statement claiming responsibility for a shooting at an anti-Muslim event in Houston, Texas. It is unclear whether the gunman had direct ties to the Islamic State, but the statement issued a call for more attacks against the United States, saying “We tell America that what is coming will be even bigger and more bitter, and that you will see the soldiers of the Islamic State do terrible things.”

Gulf Nations Meet to Discuss Yemen

The Gulf Cooperation Council is meeting in Riyadh today. Diplomats are expected to discuss options for resolving the current conflict in Yemen. Yesterday, Senegal announced it would send 2,100 troops to Saudi Arabia to support the intervention. French President Francois Hollande is in attendance while visiting the Gulf, making him the first Western head of state to attend a GCC summit. The meeting comes amid persistent concerns about the humanitarian crisis being created by the Saudi intervention in Yemen. A statement by Doctors without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross said that the destruction of Yemeni infrastructure, including the airport runway in Sanaa, is preventing the delivery of critical aid.

Headlines

  • Amnesty International issued a scathing report on the Assad regime’s crimes against humanity in Aleppo, including incurring thousands of civilian casualties with barrel bombs and repeatedly attacking hospitals; the report also criticized indiscriminate attacks by rebels.

 

  • An Israeli veterans’ organization issued a report featuring testimony from 60 soldiers who participated in the 2014 Gaza war blaming overly-permissive rules of engagement for high civilian casualties.

 

  • Russia’s planned delivery of S-300 missiles to Iran is reportedly causing Israel to reconsider its neutrality on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

 

  • The U.S. Navy, which began escorting U.S.-flagged ships in the Persian Gulf last week, has now also begun escorting British ships to deter harassment by Iranian forces.

 

  • The Qatari government denied that any foreign workers have died or been severely injured in construction for the 2022 World Cup but said it is working on reforming its foreign worker system; the comments come after German journalists were arrested while reporting on worker conditions.

-J. Dana Stuster

BARAA AL-HALABI/AFP/Getty Images

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.