Special to WorldTribune.com

The Obama administration on Oct. 9 responded to Russia’s week-long incursion into Syria which highlighted the failure of U.S. efforts to end the civil war in Syria and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

Speaking to NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Defense Secretary Ash Carter broke official U.S. silence about Russian bombing and sea-launched missile strikes, a new ground offensive and a near-collision in mid-air. He called Russia’s behavior “unprofessional.”

Meanwhile, Pentagon officials said the U.S. strategy in Syria was being “refocused” after a program to train moderate Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) failed.

The Pentagon said it now plans to equip and provide air support for rebel groups that are currently on the ground who have a better shot at beating back ISIL’s jihadists.

“We will monitor the progress these groups make and provide them with air support as they take the fight to ISIL,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

Some experts say the change in strategy is risky considering Russia’s recent escalation of military action in Syria. Moscow says it is mainly targeting ISIL, but U.S. and other officials say most attacks are being focused on anti-Assad regime rebels, some of whom were trained by the CIA.

The costly Obama strategy to train moderate rebels was widely panned for its repeated failures. After a long-delay, the training program managed to graduate only a handful of fighters who were quickly attacked by rival rebel forces. One U.S.-trained unit gave all of its equipment to a local Al Qaida affiliate.

Observers say the U.S. is hoping the move to back current rebel groups in Syria will replicate the success that Kurdish fighters have had against ISIL in northern Syria. The U.S. also hopes the move will cut off ISIL’s supply of fighters and arms coming into Syria from Turkey.

The change in strategy came from U.S. Central Command in September and was approved by President Barack Obama after meetings with national security staff last week.

Obama admitted the training program in Syria “has not worked the way it was supposed to. And part of the reason, frankly, is because when we tried to get them to just focus on ISIL, the response we’d get back is, ‘how can we focus on ISIL when every single day we’re having barrel bombs and attacks from the [Assad] regime?’ “

  Kurdish fighters, moderate rebels, Obama’s American breaks silence: Russia ‘unprofessional’, U.S. strategy being ‘refocused’, WorldTribune.com