While the program was a huge failure to begin with, it seems clear Putin and his actions in Syria is really what pushed the Obama administration to back down from this program:
FOX NEWS – The Obama administration has decided to end its struggling program to train and equip Syrian rebel fighters, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
The Defense Department is expected to formally announce the change Friday morning.
Fox News reported last month that the administration was working to overhaul the training program, and would instead aim to train “enablers” who can embed with established groups fighting the Islamic State in Syria.
The New York Times first reported Friday that the existing training program would be shuttered. The Times report said a small group of “enablers,” or leaders, indeed would be instructed at a small center in Turkey going forward. But batches of rebels reportedly will no longer go through training in other camps.
The decision comes just days after Russia’s military entered the Syria fight, and allegedly hit not just Islamic State targets but areas with U.S.-backed rebels.
Or maybe it was Ted Cruz.