US commander backs revised train and equip program in Syria

Rome, march 9 - President Barack Obama's choice to be the next US commander for the Middle East told lawmakers that he supports moving forward with a revised effort to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels battling Islamic State militants, the Associated Press reported. In testimony Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Gen. Joseph Votel described the new approach as a "thickening effort" as opposed to a decisive way of raising a large force. "But I do think it is helpful to have people who have been trained by us, who have the techniques, who have the communications capability and the resources to link back into our firepower," Votel said. The trained fighters, Votel added, present the Islamic State with added "dilemmas."