British military commanders drew up a plan in 2012 to train and equip 100,000 insurgents in Syria, according to the BBC.
General Sir David Richards, Britain’s top officer, presented the plans to Prime Minister David Cameron, the National Security Council, and US officials including General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Richards argued that the international community had only two choices: accept President Assad’s deadly suppression of the uprising, or support of an insurgency to defeat him. Recognizing that it was not possible for British troops to intervene directly, Richards proposed an international coalition to vet, train, and arm fighters in Turkey and Jordan.
The commander said the project would take a year but would buy time for the formation of an alternative Syrian Government in exile. The insurgents would then move across Syria, with air cover from the West and Gulf States.
The BBC does not give details of why the plan was rejected, and by whom, saying only that it was deemed “too scary”.
Richards’ initiative paralleled efforts within the Obama Administration, notably by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and General David Petraeus, to build up the insurgency after the Assad regime’s attempts to crush opposition. The proposal was blunted by the objections of the US military and hesitancy by President Obama.
A coordinating center was established in 2012 in Turkey, but efforts to train insurgents were limited. An operations center was later established in Jordan, with training of some “moderate” insurgents in Turkey and Qatar; however, the US has continued to restrict military aid over fears that it could reach “extremists”.