Syrian Rebels Voice Serious Reservations Against US Training Program

Syrian rebels on Friday voiced deep reservations about a U.S. program to train moderate rebels that American and Jordanian officials say has kicked off in Jordan, dismissing it as a drop in the ocean that would not change realities on the ground.
U.S. officials say the program is part of a broader effort to build a force capable of fighting Islamic State extremists — not President Bashar Assad's forces whom rebels blame for fanning extremism in Syria and the region.
That alone has incensed some rebels who said they would not take part in the training even if they had been given the opportunity.
Syrian rebels have been pleading for international help ever since the uprising against Assad's rule that began in 2011 devolved into an outright civil war.
Moderates among them have long said that the West's failure to bolster their forces helped fuel the rise of militants like the Islamic State group.