Obama wants $165 million for Syrian rebels
The US president’s $5.6 billion emergency war-fighting request includes a plan to shore up the Syrian opposition.
President Barack Obama is asking Congress for an extra $165 million to boost the Syrian opposition as part of his $5.6 billion request to fight the Islamic State (IS), a tacit acknowledgment that the group can’t be defeated in Iraq alone.
The request is included in a 34-page letter from the Office of Management and Budget that was sent to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Nov. 10. Congress returns from its election day recess on Nov. 12 and administration officials are urging a quick vote so they can start deploying an extra 1,500 troops to help the Iraqi army battle IS.
