to a political settlement. One potential game-changer is a request for U.S. help in training elite rebel units, which has been drafted by Brig. Gen. Salim Idriss, the new commander of the opposition Free Syrian Army. In a letter dated Feb. 4, he seeks U.S. assistance in “training for: (1) special operations; (

to a political settlement. One potential game-changer is a request for U.S. help in training elite rebel units, which has been drafted by Brig. Gen. Salim Idriss, the new commander of the opposition Free Syrian Army. In a letter dated Feb. 4, he seeks U.S. assistance in "training for: (1) special operations; (

the situation in Syria today: a civil war among four main factions, in which the group supported by the United States, the Free Syrian Army of Gen. Salim Idriss, appears to be the weakest. Last weekend, the headquarters and main warehouse of the FSA were overrun by troops of the Saudi-funded Islamic Front.

find an exit is leading to what observers predict could be a humanitarian disaster this winter, with the loss of tens of thousands of lives. Gen. Salim Idriss, the commander of the moderate Free Syrian Army, said in a telephone interview Monday that he's prepared to join the so-called Geneva 2 peace negot