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The House of Representatives has approved President Barack Obama's plan to train and arm Syrian rebels that the U.S. classify as "moderate," but questions remain over whether Washington will hand over advanced weapons that such groups say they need in order to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).The House voted 273-to-156 on Wednesday to authorize the strategy in a test of support for Obama's stepped-up campaign to "degrade and destroy" ISIL fighters who have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria as they seek to expand a self-declared caliphate in the heart of the Middle East.
Written as an amendment to a stopgap spending bill, the measure does not earmark any new money to pay for the arms or training. It passed with support from both Democrats and Republicans, despite significant opposition from members of both parties.
Voting for the amendment were 159 Republicans and 114 Democrats, while 71 Republicans and 85 Democrats voted against.
The spending bill — including the training plan — will only go to Obama to be signed into law after it passes the Senate. That move is expected to come as early as Thursday.
Read more @: House approves US arms for Syrian rebels
Well the House passed it, with a good amount of opposition. There are many questions to be answered, such as what kind of weapons will be given, will they be advanced? What "groups" in the FSA will the arms reach, etc?