The additional US Special Operations Forces deployed to Syria should wage a war against the Daesh, not a parallel US war against Syrian President Bashar Assad, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard told Sputnik.





WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein�� Gabbard criticized the US alliance with�Syrian moderate rebels which she described as "completely intertwined" with�Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Nusra Front) and al-Qaeda.
"There are two wars that the US is waging in�Syria right now, one is the war to�overthrow the Syrian government of�Assad�the other war is to�defeat ISIS [Daesh]," Gabbard said on�Wednesday.




Gabbard said she supports Obama�s decision to�deploy the additional forces, if they are partnering with�Kurdish forces in�northern Syria to�defeat Daesh.
"If they are working with [the] so-called Syrian moderate opposition, who are fighting to�overthrow Assad, then they should not be doing that," Gabbard stated. "They shouldn�t be there if that is the mission they have been given."


Earlier this week, President Barack Obama ordered 250 additional Special Operations Forces to�go to�Syria to�engage in�a non-combat role. The Pentagon reported that the additional forces will be providing support to�the regional forces engaged in�the fight against�Daesh.

Providing training and assistance to�jihadist-linked rebels in�Syria is "completely counterproductive and is undermining the war that we should be focusing on, which is to�defeat ISIS and al-Qaeda and these other Islamic extremist groups," she asserted.

In 2015, the Pentagon embarked on�a failed $500 million train and equip mission, which vetted Syrian rebels to�fight exclusively against�Islamic State forces. The failure of�the 2015 program led the Pentagon to�loosen requirements for�Syrian rebels, opening the pool of�recruits to�leaders of�armed groups that also sought to�overthrow the Assad government.

By Sputnik