The U.S. appeared to be moving closer to supporting arms shipments to Syrian rebels by regional Arab Persian Gulf allies and Turkey, according to unnamed officials speaking to the Associated Press. The current official policy eschews sending more arms into the 15-month long conflict between anti-government fighters and the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad, but frustration with the lack of progress on ending the conflict may be forcing the U.S. to approve allies’ arms shipments. The U.S.’s support would entail vetting potential recipients of lethal assistance — an issue complicated by questions about the role of Islamic extremists fighting among or alongside rebels.
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