House grudgingly approves arms for Syrian rebels

Georgia congressmen show support for vote

Secretary of State John Kerry points to a newspaper photo of the recent Arab summit in Saudi Arabia as an example of the kind of coalition he expects in combating Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday. - photo by Associated Press

Congress Islamic Stat Ledb — Secretary of State John Kerry points to a newspaper photo of the recent Arab summit in Saudi Arabia as an example of the kind of coalition he expects in combating Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday. - photo by Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House voted grudgingly to give the administration authority to train and arm Syrian rebels on Wednesday as President Barack Obama emphasized anew that American forces "do not and will not have a combat mission" in the struggle against Islamic State militants in either Iraq or Syria. The 273-156 vote crossed party lines to an unusual degree in a Congress marked by near ceaseless partisanship. Top Republican and Democratic leaders backed Obama's plan seven weeks before midterm elections, while dozens of rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties opposed it.

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