Obama Grants Waiver for Military Support of Syria Militants

Local Editor

US President Barack Obama ordered a waiver for restrictions on military aid for foreign forces and others in Syria, deeming it "essential to the national security interests" of the US to allow exceptions from provisions in the Arms Export Control Act.

A White House press release Thursday announced that foreign militants in Syria supporting US special operations "to combat terrorism in Syria" would be excused from restrictions on military assistance.

"I hereby determine that the transaction, encompassing the provision of defense articles and services to foreign forces, irregular forces, groups, or individuals engaged in supporting or facilitating ongoing US military operations to counter terrorism in Syria, is essential to the national security interests of the United States," President Obama affirmed in the presidential determination and waiver.

The order delegates responsibility to the US secretary of state to work with and report to Congress on weapons export proposals, requiring 15 days' notice before they are authorized.

Obama announced a similar waiver of the Arms Export Control Act in September 2013, following the Ghouta chemical attack in August of that year.

That order facilitated the transfer of US military weaponry to "select vetted members" of opposition forces battling the Syrian Army, while Thursday's order appears less narrow in scope.

Last year, Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] of 2016, which allocated nearly $500 million to arm and train so-called "moderate fighters" in Syria, despite a failed Pentagon program abandoned earlier in 2015.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team