US President Barack Obama requested that Congress approve $500m to train and equip members of the Syrian opposition on Thursday.
Noting that the funding would only be spent on ''appropriately vetted'' members of the armed Syrian opposition, the White House said in a statement,
"This funding request would build on the administration's longstanding efforts to empower the moderate Syrian opposition, both civilian and armed."
Speaking on the request National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden, said in a statement,
“While we continue to believe that there is no military solution to this crisis and that the United States should not put American troops into combat in Syria, this request marks another step toward helping the Syrian people defend themselves against regime attacks.”
See more from the New York Times here and BBC here.
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