 "House Republicans back Syrian rebel training")
US lawmakers raced today to authorise an expanded mission to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels before heading back to the campaign trail, with House Republicans preparing legislation backing a central plank of President Barack Obama's strategy against the Islamic State group.
The Obama administration says the training operation is needed to establish credible, local ground forces to accompany US air strikes against the militants who have conquered large parts of Iraq and Syria, beheaded two American journalists and become a top US terrorism threat in the region and beyond.
The House and Senate are both on a tight schedule, looking to wrap up work Friday before an almost two-month recess in preparation for November's elections.
The measure doesn't authorise US combat troops in Iraq or Syria or explicitly ban them, reflecting a congressional divide between hawks seeking tougher action than that proposed by Obama and lawmakers weary from more than a decade of US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It also compels the Pentagon to present Congress with a plan 15 days before any training begins, according to a House Armed Services Committee aide, who wasn't authorised to speak publicly about ongoing deliberations and demanded anonymity.
Democrats are reviewing the proposal, which would enable the military to take over what has previously been a limited, covert operation to beef up rebels battling extremist groups and President Bashar Assad's army.
The administration isn't likely to protest the conditions. It has sent more than 1,000 troops to Iraq to provide military assistance and bolster security of US diplomatic facilities and personnel. But Obama, too, opposes any US ground offensive.
The House Rules Committee planned to meet as early as today evening and Republicans were to gather for internal talks tomorrow morning. A House vote could be held Thursday, by which time lawmakers will have had opportunities to question the administration's top national security officials. The Senate would then follow. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel briefs House and Senate committees Tuesday and Thursday, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Martin Dempsey also testifying. Secretary of State John Kerry appears before separate panels Wednesday and Thursday.
The Obama administration says the training operation is needed to establish credible, local ground forces to accompany US air strikes against the militants who have conquered large parts of Iraq and Syria, beheaded two American journalists and become a top US terrorism threat in the region and beyond.
The House and Senate are both on a tight schedule, looking to wrap up work Friday before an almost two-month recess in preparation for November's elections.
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The authorisation under consideration will likely be included as an amendment to a spending bill Congress must pass to keep the government open until mid-December. That would give lawmakers the opportunity to hold a separate debate and vote on the matter something members of both parties want.
The measure doesn't authorise US combat troops in Iraq or Syria or explicitly ban them, reflecting a congressional divide between hawks seeking tougher action than that proposed by Obama and lawmakers weary from more than a decade of US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It also compels the Pentagon to present Congress with a plan 15 days before any training begins, according to a House Armed Services Committee aide, who wasn't authorised to speak publicly about ongoing deliberations and demanded anonymity.
Democrats are reviewing the proposal, which would enable the military to take over what has previously been a limited, covert operation to beef up rebels battling extremist groups and President Bashar Assad's army.
The administration isn't likely to protest the conditions. It has sent more than 1,000 troops to Iraq to provide military assistance and bolster security of US diplomatic facilities and personnel. But Obama, too, opposes any US ground offensive.
The House Rules Committee planned to meet as early as today evening and Republicans were to gather for internal talks tomorrow morning. A House vote could be held Thursday, by which time lawmakers will have had opportunities to question the administration's top national security officials. The Senate would then follow. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel briefs House and Senate committees Tuesday and Thursday, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Martin Dempsey also testifying. Secretary of State John Kerry appears before separate panels Wednesday and Thursday.