WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Friday it would "pause" a failed program to train and equip Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State militants in Syria and instead shift course and give equipment and provide air support to vetted leaders of opposition groups.
The Pentagon will provide "basic kinds of equipment" to leaders of the groups, not "higher end" arms like anti-tank rockets and manpads, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Christine Wormuth told reporters on a White House conference call.
Wormuth defended the $500 million Pentagon program that trained only 60 fighters, falling far short of the original goal of 5,400.
"I don't think at all this was a case of poor execution," Wormuth said. "It was inherently a very, very complex mission,"