Cutting Ties

U.S. Dumps Free Syrian Army in ISIS War

Will create moderate home-grown force.

The United States is ditching the old Free Syrian Army and developing its own local ground force to use in the fight against ISIS, McClatchy reports. The service quotes retired Gen. John Allen, coordinator of the U.S.-led coalition’s campaign against the extremist group, telling reporters at the State Department that, “At this point, there is not formal coordination with the FSA.” Allen said America’s intent is to start from scratch in creating a home-grown, moderate counterweight to ISIS. On Tuesday, there was no representation of Syrian rebel groups at the 21-nation summit about ISIS. For most of the three years of the Syrian conflict, the U.S. ground game hinged on rebel militias loosely affiliated under the banner of the FSA, but that posed problems involving lack of cohesion, uneven fighting skills, and frequent battlefield coordination with the Al-Nusra Front.