A top US military officer has told a Senate panel that the Obama administration is deliberating whether to use military power in Syria. Amid an increasing clamor among President Bashar Assad’s opposition for active US involvement, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey said during congressional testimony that he has provided President Barack Obama with options for the use of force.
General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "We’ve given him options. The members of this committee have been briefed on them in a classified setting. We’ve articulated the risk. The decision on whether to use force is the decision of our elected officials."
But Dempsey declined to give any more detail on those choices, saying "it would be inappropriate to try to influence the decision."
This remark came after Republican Senator John McCain asked him which approach in Syria would carry a greater risk: continued limited action on the part of Washington, or more significant actions such as the establishment of a no-fly zone and arming the rebel forces with weapons.
Dempsey said that the use of kinetic strike "is under deliberation inside of the agencies of government". Besides, leading senators including Carl Levin, a Democrat and McCain, have been pressing Obama to take a more forceful approach to defeat Assad’s forces.
The civil war in Syria has entered its third year and killed almost 93,000 people.
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| General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff |
General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "We’ve given him options. The members of this committee have been briefed on them in a classified setting. We’ve articulated the risk. The decision on whether to use force is the decision of our elected officials."
But Dempsey declined to give any more detail on those choices, saying "it would be inappropriate to try to influence the decision."
This remark came after Republican Senator John McCain asked him which approach in Syria would carry a greater risk: continued limited action on the part of Washington, or more significant actions such as the establishment of a no-fly zone and arming the rebel forces with weapons.
Dempsey said that the use of kinetic strike "is under deliberation inside of the agencies of government". Besides, leading senators including Carl Levin, a Democrat and McCain, have been pressing Obama to take a more forceful approach to defeat Assad’s forces.
The civil war in Syria has entered its third year and killed almost 93,000 people.