U.S. Senate approves bill to arm moderate Syrian rebels

Reuters

18 September 2014 at 7:48 pm

A Free Syrian Army fighter carries his weapon on one of the frontlines of Wadi Al-Dayf camp in the southern Idlib countryside September 14, 2014. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday easily approved controversial legislation requested by President Barack Obama to allow the training and arming of moderate Syrian rebels in their fight against Islamic State militants. Senate passage, by a vote of 78-22, came a day after approval by the House of Representatives. The Senate legislation also temporarily keeps the government running in the fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1 and reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank through June 2015. The bill now goes to Obama for signing into law. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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