Obama seeks $500 million to train Syria rebels

Barack Obama has called on the US Congress to approve $500 million to train and equip vetted Syrian rebels, in what would be a significant escalation of US involvement in the conflict.

Following several signals in recent weeks by the US administration, the White House said it intends to "ramp up US support to the moderate Syrian opposition".

It proposed the funding for "vetted elements of the Syrian armed opposition to help defend the Syrian people, stabilise areas under opposition control, facilitate the provision of essential services, counter terrorist threats, and promote conditions for a negotiated settlement".

Chuck Hagel, the US defence secretary, has asked staff to develop more detailed plans to train and equip the rebels, Reuters news agency reported.

The funds would allow the US military to "train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the moderate Syrian armed opposition," said John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. 

Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, however said that the US plan was a step in the wrong direction. “I am sure that it is possible to spend it for something more useful,” he said.

The National Security Council's spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the funding "would build on the administration's long-standing efforts to empower the moderate Syrian opposition".

About $287m in mainly non-lethal support has been cleared for the rebels since March 2011, and the CIA has participated in a secret military training programme in neighbouring Jordan for the 'moderate' opposition.

The $500m in aid is part of a proposed $1.5bn "regional stabilisation initiative" to bolster Syrian neighbours Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, and to support communities hosting refugees.

Hayden said US officials "believe that there is no military solution to this crisis and that the United States should not put American troops into combat."

But she said that the request for the rebels would help Syrians "push back against the growing number of extremists like ISIL, who find safe-haven in the chaos, and take their future into their own hands by enhancing security and stability at local levels."

Meanwhile the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has said he "welcomed" air attacks by Syria against ISIL targets on Iraqi soil, after raids on the border town of al-Qaim on Tuesday.

Maliki told the BBC Arabic that Baghdad did not request the air raids.

"There was no coordination involved, but we welcome this action. We welcome any Syrian strike ... because this group targets both Iraq and Syria ... But we didn't make any request from Syria. They carry out their strikes and we carry out ours. The final winners are our two countries," he said in the BBC interview.