President Barack Obama, under pressure from some lawmakers to provide more help to Syria's opposition, asked the U.S. Congress on Thursday to approve $500 million to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
It was the administration's most tangible move yet to help beleaguered Assad opponents who have been frustrated at a lack of U.S. assistance after Obama stepped back from launching air strikes on Syria nearly a year ago.
Senior Obama administration officials have long debated how best to help rebels in Syria's three-year-old civil war, which is showing signs of spilling over into neighboring Iraq.
A White House statement said Syrian rebels would be "appropriately vetted" before being given assistance, in what amounts to an effort to assuage concerns that some equipment provided to the Syrian opposition might ultimately fall into the hands of U.S. enemies.
Obama has been under strong pressure from some lawmakers, such as Republican Senator John McCain Of Arizona, to increase assistance to the Syrian rebels. Some members of Congress have accused Obama of being passive and indecisive, allowing Assad to repulse the threat to his government.
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-seeks-500-million-congress-help-moderate-syrian-193135415.html
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