Ron DeSantis Sounds the Alarm on Arming Syrian Rebels

On Tuesday, freshman U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., sounded the alarm on arming rebels challenging the Syrian government. DeSantis noted that arming the Syrian rebels would lead to weapons in the hands of Islamist terrorists despite their efforts against Islamic State (IS) forces.

DeSantis wrote the following on Tuesday:

What is a vetted moderate Islamist rebel? Though this term is frequently thrown around the D.C. Beltway as our answer to the advances of the Islamic State in Syria, it has been unclear who, exactly, would qualify for this designation and, thus, for American-provided arms and training.

The text of the amendment authorizing the president to train and equip Syrian rebels gives us some answers. Section (e)(1) provides as follows:

(1) The term appropriately vetted means, with respect to elements of the Syrian opposition and other Syrian groups and individuals, at a minimum, assessments of such elements, groups, and individuals for associations with terrorist groups, Shia militias aligned with or supporting the government of Syria, and groups associated with the government of Iran. Such groups include, but are not limited to, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Jabhat al Nusrah, Ahrar al Sham, other al-Qaida-related groups, and Hezbollah.

This seems to mean that any Islamist fighter short of a member of a designated terrorist group could satisfy the vetting standard. Thus, the amendment would authorize U.S. arms to be provided to groups such as Harakat al-Hazm (which is a front for the Muslim Brotherhood), the Syrian Revolutionaries Front (which has conducted operations alongside al-Qaida), and the Army of the Mujahideen (which has publicly disavowed any confrontation with their brothers in al-Nusra).

The bottom line is these groups are not moderate in any meaningful sense of the word. None of these groups are pro-American. They will be happy to take U.S. arms when it suits them but their main goal is less to fight ISIS than to replace Assads regime with a Sunni sharia state a state that would be hostile to the United States, our interests and our allies.

You cannot subcontract out American national security policy to fighters aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood. Half-measures will not suffice there are no shortcuts when it comes to defeating the enemy.