Week ahead: Syrian opposition scores in Senate defense bill
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of May 26.
The Syrian opposition's recent lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill is beginning to pay off, with the Senate's defense bill recognizing the Western-backed rebels as a US ally in the war on terror.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) "authorizes the Secretary of Defense to provide equipment, training, supplies, and defense services to assist vetted members of the Syrian opposition," according to a summary of the bill released May 23.
The language is included in a section of the summary that touts the bill's potential to enhance "the capability of the U.S. armed forces and the security forces of allied and friendly nations to defeat al Qaeda, its affiliates and other violent extremist organizations" — a symbolic victory for the beleaguered opposition.
"This is a momentous occasion," Syrian National Coalition (SNC) adviser Oubai Shahbandar told Al-Monitor. "This is the first stop in clearly defining the convergence of American national security interests with strengthening the Free Syrian Army [FSA], which is actively fighting al-Qaeda and actively fighting Iranian-backed international terrorist forces in Syria."
