WASHINGTON, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Obama Administration's lack of support to the Syrian moderate opposition undermines the progress to combat the Islamic State (IS), the US senators said.
"[The actions of Obama Administration] is a recipe for failure, which will only allow the growing threats we face in Syria to continue destabilizing our allies and partners in the Middle East and putting US national security at unacceptable risk," said the statement by US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham issued on Senator McCain's website on Friday.
Senator McCain stressed that Obama Administration's actions reinforce the impression that the current Administration has no coherent policy toward Syria, and wishes to contain the problem and pass it on to the next Administration.
"The current lack of coordination runs the greater risk of strengthening Assad's military position on the ground, weakening and discrediting more moderate forces in Syria, empowering ISIS and other radical groups," the statement said.
The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has fought the Syrian government since 2012. It extended attacks to north and west Iraq in June and declared the creation of an Islamic caliphate.
In August, the United States started conducting airstrikes on IS positions in Iraq, extending the airstrikes to Syria in September, when an international anti-IS coalition was formed, currently comprising more than 60 countries.
