NEWSWATCH Wall Street Journal: “U.S. Weighs Talks With Russia on Military Activity in Syria. Pentagon leaders grilled over strategy to deal with regime of Bashar al-Assad.”
The Wall Street Journal reports on U.S. military and foreign policy responses to stepped-up Russian activity in Syria, including Congressional criticism of the Obama administration.
The Obama administration is considering discussions with Russia on military activities Syria in what would mark a shift in approach as U.S. policy comes under growing criticism at home.
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In a scorching attack on the U.S. strategy in the Senate, members of the powerful armed services committee grilled senior Pentagon officials over how the administration intends to deal with the Syrian regime. It is an issue that Washington has largely sidestepped but is now forced to confront with Moscow’s escalating military support for Mr. Assad.
While the U.S. has insisted that Mr. Assad must step down as part of any resolution to Syria’s multi-sided war, the White House has chosen not to attack the regime militarily. Instead, the Pentagon has pursued a bombing campaign against extremist group Islamic State ….