President Obama’s Plan to Train and Equip Syrian Rebels against Islamic State Approved by Senate

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday approving President Obama’s plans to support Syrian rebels in the fight against the Islamic State militants.

The vote came to 78 in favor while 22 were against, approving the plan as part of a governmental spending measure. Votes in favor came from 45 Democrats and 33 Republicans, and votes against came from 10 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

The House also voted in approval of the plan on Wednesday, with 273 votes in favor and 156 against.

“As I said last week, I believe that we’re strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together, and I want to thank members of Congress for the speed and seriousness with which they approached this important issue,” President Obama said in a televised statement.

The measure will involve spending $500 million to support, train, and equip the Syrian rebel troops against the Islamic State, and will only last until December 11.

“While I’m concerned about the ability of the coalition to generate sufficient combat to defeat [the Islamic State] within Syria, I do support the President’s proposal to begin the program,” BBC quoted Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.

Despite the majority votes in favor of the plan, members of Congress expressed ambivalent reactions to the result.

“If we’ve learned anything of the last 12 years of war, it’s that the Middle East seems largely immune from US efforts to bend it to our will,” said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

Barbara Lee, a Republican representative of the House, similarly tweeted that “we should not act in haste.”

Some members of Congress expressed concern that the Syrian rebels’ goals are perhaps not the same as the U.S.

“The opposition fighters we will train care more about overthrowing Assad’s regime than they do about defeating ISIS,” said Democratic Senator Joe Manchin according to the Christian Science Monitor.

However, Secretary of State John Kerry expressed confidence in the Syrian rebels’ “loyalties and effectiveness” during a House committee hearing, according to BBC.

Other concerns included the fact that the measure raises the federal spending too much.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has been continuing its air strikes, and standing firm in its stance that there will be no ground troops involved in the fight against the Islamic State.

“It is more effective to use our unique capabilities in support of our partners on the ground so that they can secure their own countries’ future,” President Obama stated on Wednesday.