Comment Re:US policy: first arm them then bomb (Score 1) 215
I doubt that the US gov would have supported IS directly, but I think that it is very likely that they would have supported other groups fighting the Assad regime - and that those groups' resources have been
conquered by the IS.
It is known that many fighters in Syria who belonged to other groups have been forced into squads belonging to the IS, and that many of these would deflect from IS if they had the chance.