
The Syrian Train and Equip Program is a
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
-led military operation launched in 2014 that identified and trained the
Kurdish YPG,
Revolutionary Commando Army, and select other opposition groups inside
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
as well as in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and other US-allied states who would then return to Syria to fight the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
. The program reportedly cost the US$500 million.
It was a covert program, run by
U.S. special operations forces, separate from
Timber Sycamore
Timber Sycamore was a classified weapons supply and training program run by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and supported by the United Kingdom and some Arabs, Arab intelligence services, including General Intelligence Presi ...
, the parallel covert program run by the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA).
As of July 2015, only a group of 54 trained and equipped fighters (
Division 30) had been reported to have been deployed, which was quickly routed by
al-Nusra
Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...
, and a further 75 were reported in September 2015.
Background
As the
Syrian Civil War erupted in 2011, the
Obama Administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...
considered various options for engagement. By 2013, at the direction of U.S. President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA) was put in charge of
Timber Sycamore
Timber Sycamore was a classified weapons supply and training program run by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and supported by the United Kingdom and some Arabs, Arab intelligence services, including General Intelligence Presi ...
, a covert program to arm and train anti-Assad rebels,
[ while the State Department supplied the moderate rebels of the ]Free Syrian Army
The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...
with non-lethal aid, channeled exclusively through the opposition's Supreme Military Council; the latter was suspended in December 2013 when shipments were seized by the Islamist Islamic Front. In late 2013, the CIA program started providing training, cash, and intelligence to selected rebel commanders, and from early 2014 some weapons. In 2015, US officials said this had become one the agency's largest covert operations, with a budget approaching $1 billion a year.
On 17 September 2014, the House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
voted to authorize the executive branch to train-and-equip Syrian rebels against ISIL forces. The United States was set to send 400 troops and hundreds of support staff to countries neighboring Syria to train 5,000 opposition soldiers a year for the next three years. The countries taking part in the train-and-equip program were to include Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
, Qatar
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
, and Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.[ The Pentagon confirmed that it had selected 1,200 Syrian opposition members to begin training in March 2015, with 3,000 to complete training by the end of 2015.] However of that number only about 200 actually began training, the majority of whom left after being required to agree to fight only against ISIL and not the Assad government.
The successful experience in Kobanî had informed U.S. policy in regards to arming Syrian opposition groups other than the Kurdish YPG, with plans to give other groups technicals
Technicals may refer to:
* Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle often used in civil conflict
* TECHNICALS, a clothing brand owned by Blacks Leisure Group
See also
* Technical (disambiguation)
Technical may refer to:
* Technical ...
equipped with radio and GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...
equipment to call in airstrikes. John R. Allen, President Obama's envoy to the international coalition against ISIL, has said "It is clearly part of our plan, that not only we will train them, and we will equip them with the latest weapons systems, but we will also protect them when the time comes," alluding to aiding the opposition with air support and no fly zones. The United Kingdom announced it will send around 75 military instructors to train Syrian opposition forces. The train-and-equip program started on 9 May. On 25 May, Turkey and the U.S. agreed "in principle" on the necessity to support these forces with air support.
Prohibition on the use of U.S. troops
Congressional legislation authorizing the U.S. Secretary of Defense to assist Syrian opposition forces was attached to a bill for continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2015. The bill specified that the Secretary was authorized "...to provide assistance, including training, equipment, supplies, and sustainment, to appropriately vetted elements of the Syrian opposition and other appropriately vetted Syrian groups and individuals..." The purpose of the support was to protect and defend the Syrian people, U.S. persons, and other friends and allies from ISIL and other terrorists in Syria; and to promote conditions for a negotiated settlement to end the conflict in Syria.
The congressional authorization specifically prohibited the introduction of U.S. troops or other U.S. forces into hostilities. The bill said:
:''"Nothing in this section shall be construed to constitute a specific statutory authorization for the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations wherein hostilities are clearly indicated by the circumstances."''
Planning and training
As of 4 November 2014, the United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
was preparing for the establishment of the program. Trainers were being contributed by various countries in the counter-ISIL coalition. The Obama Administration hoped to identify reliable non-Islamist Syrian rebels currently in Turkey. The Pentagon identified 7,000 potential candidates for the program. After verifying their identities and passing initial tests, the candidates were trained in tactics and advanced weapons systems by the Department of Defense. The rebels were then outfitted with American equipment, and sent back over the border to Syria. Washington hoped to train an army of 15,000 rebels to fight ISIS.
Turkey allowed about 1,000 U.S. troops involved in the training program to enter Turkey. The United Kingdom announced in March 2015 that it would send 75 military trainers to Turkey as part of the U.S.-led effort.
Deployment
The first group of 154 men completed a training program in Jordan and Turkey, organized in the new Division 30 of the FSA, established specifically to fight ISIS, commanded by Colonel Nedim Hasan, a Turkmen defector from the Syrian Army, aided by the Syrian Group Captain Sahir Mustafa. The Jordanian-trained group, 100 men who had completed a 54-day program, re-entered Syria in late June 2015. The Turkish-trained group, a convoy of 54 men who had completed a 74-day program in central Anatolia, re-entered Syria on 12 July, and deployed to Azaz
Azaz () is a city in northwest Syria, roughly north-northwest of Aleppo. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Azaz had a population of 31,623 at the 2004 census. . However, fighters from al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
-linked Jabhat al-Nusra regarded Division 30 fighters as "American agents" and kidnapped seven Division 30 fighters on July 29, attacked its headquarters on July 31, and—despite US air support—kidnapped at least five more fighters a few days later. Al-Nusra posted photos on social media the next day showing American weapons and equipment that they had captured from the group. By September, the Pentagon acknowledged that there were only "four or five" fighters left of the Turkish-trained group of 54, with only 100–120 in the three classes then being trained.
Seventy five Syrian rebels trained by the United States and its allies to fight Islamic State had entered northern Syria since Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday, 20 September 2015. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Observatory, said the rebels had crossed into Syria from Turkey with 12 vehicles equipped with machine guns. Soon afterwards however, there were reports on Twitter by al-Nusra that many of the group handed over their brand-new trucks, weapons and ammunition to the al-Nusra Front, almost immediately after crossing the border back into Syria.
Operations
Wartime operations
The elimination of the first wave of U.S.-backed rebels affected recruitment of new candidates. The program has proven very controversial in Congress and faces an uncertain future. Some rebels left the program after being asked to sign an agreement pledging not to attack pro-Assad forces. However, the ''Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''s Missy Ryan and Greg Jaffe reported on Monday, 21 September 2015, that the Executive Office of the President is working on a plan to provide weapons "to a wider array of rebel groups in Syria and relaxing vetting standards, effectively deepening America's involvement in the ongoing civil war." A US official said recruiting of moderate Syrian rebels to go through training programmes in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates would cease, and, instead, a much smaller training centre would be set up in Turkey, where a small group of "enablers" (predominantly leaders of opposition groups) would be taught operational methods such as how to call in airstrikes. At the same time, the House Intelligence Committee voted to cut as much as 20% of the classified funds flowing into the parallel CIA programme of rebel support, with a shift of emphasis to combating ISIS in Iraq.
Also around the same time, the US revealed for the first time that Special Operations Forces were "engaged with YPG forces"—the mainly-Kurdish People's Protection Units
The People's Defense Units (YPG), also called People's Protection Units, is a libertarian socialist US-backed Kurds in Syria, Kurdish militant group in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The YPG mostl ...
(YPG). The next year, at the end of September 2016, the U.S. spokesman for the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) is a multinational military formation established by the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State with the stated aim to "degrade and destroy" the organi ...
confirmed that the Syrian Democratic Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...
(SDF), led by the YPG, is also part of the "vetted forces" in the train and equip program. The president of Turkey
The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
condemned this and claimed that the SDF are "endangering our future".
In November 2016, the main train and equip programme suffered a major setback when three American special forces
United States special operations forces (SOF) are the active and reserve component forces of the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Navy and United States Air Force, Air Force within the United Sta ...
trainers were killed while entering King Faisal Air Base in Jordan in a deadly attack. The Americans had been detailed to the CIA to train rebels to combat ISIS.
On 31 January 2017, the SDF received a number of armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world.
Acc ...
s produced by ArmorGroup
ArmorGroup International is a British company that provides private security company, private security services. It was founded in 1981 and was listed on the London Stock Exchange until 6 June 2008 (it was acquired by G4S plc in April 2008).
Armor ...
. U.S. military official Col. John Dorrian confirmed that the armoured vehicles were supplied by the U.S. By July 2017, more than 8,500 members of the SDF have been trained by the U.S.-led coalition and in the first half of 2017, more than 400 vehicles and other equipment have been delivered to over 40,000 SDF troops.
On 27 July 2017, the Qaryatayn Martyrs Brigade deployed forces from the al-Tanf border crossing and headed to the frontlines to fight the Syrian Armed Forces
The Syrian Armed Forces () are the military forces of Syria.
Up until the fall of Bashar al-Assad's Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region, Ba'ath Party Ba'athist Syria, regime in December 2024, the Syrian Arab Armed Forces were the sta ...
. The US-led Coalition stated that this deployment violated the agreement for U.S.-backed forces to only fight ISIL and not the Syrian government, and planned to cease support for the group.
Fall of the Assad Regime
In 2021, while fighting in Syria almost entirely subsided, four opposition groups remained part of the program, the Anti-Terror Units
The Anti-Terror Units (, short: YAT, ) are the special forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces, consisting of the best trained and equipped members of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Women's Protection Units (YPJ). They were led by the Sy ...
, the Internal Security Forces
The Internal Security Forces (; ; abbreviated ISF) are the national police and gendarmerie of Lebanon.
Modern police were established in Lebanon in 1861, with the creation of a gendarmerie force. In April 2005, Ashraf Rifi became head of the I ...
, the Provisional/Regional Internal Security Forces, and Maghawir al-Thawra.
In 2024, when major fighting in Syria began again during the Fall of the Assad regime
On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...
, the opposition groups being trained through the program were the earlier-included Internal Security Forces and Provisional/Regional Internal Security Forces, the Syrian Free Army (a merger between Maghawir al-Thawra and several smaller FSA units), and several factions within the Syrian Democratic Forces
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...
, specifically the Commandos, Special Operations Team, Syrian Arab Coalition, and People's Defense Units
The People's Defense Units (YPG), also called People's Protection Units, is a libertarian socialist US-backed Kurdish militant group in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The YPG mostly consists of K ...
. During the offensives which led to the collapse of the Assad regime, the Syrian Free Army led a rebel offensive from Al-Tanf into Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
and northern Damascus. American intelligence informed them of the regime's weakness ahead of its collapse, giving the SFA time to integrate several smaller militias into its structure and enabling another FSA unit, the Suqour al-Sham Brigade, to redeploy to the al-Tanf garrison from northern Syria in anticipation of helping the SFA offensive.
See also
* Georgia Train and Equip Program
Georgia joined the Iraq war as part of the United States-led coalition in August 2003. By 2008, Georgia had deployed 2,300 troops in Iraq, becoming the third largest contributor to the coalition forces in the Iraq War. In addition, the country p ...
* Timber Sycamore
Timber Sycamore was a classified weapons supply and training program run by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and supported by the United Kingdom and some Arabs, Arab intelligence services, including General Intelligence Presi ...
References
{{Ongoing military conflicts
2015 in the Syrian civil war
Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration
Operations involving American special forces
Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the United States
Operation Inherent Resolve