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ByRobertBurns The Associated Press PARIS Moderate Syrian rebels, once they are made battle-ready by a U.S.-led coalition, may be asked to help restore the border be- tween Syria and Iraq that Islamic State group mili- tants have effectively wiped out, the top American mil- itary official said Thursday. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey cautioned, how- ever, that it may be a year before the Syrian rebel force that President Barack Obama calls a key element of his strategy for destroy- ing the Islamic State group is ready for action. "We think if we can re- store the border, it goes a long way to beginning to put the kind of pressure on ISIL that will lead to its ul- timate defeat," Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, using a common acronym for the group that U.S. intelligence officials estimate has up to 31,000 fighters. Speaking to a small group of reporters after meeting with his French counterpart, Dempsey said it will take three or four months to begin the $500 million training program, which the House approved on Wednesday and sent to the Senate, where members of both parties predicted easy passage. Top Democratic and Republican leaders sup- ported Obama despite res- ervations that his strategy of arming moderate rebel groups could backfire or won't be enough to blunt the advance of Islamic State forces. Obama has pledged airstrikes as well but is ad- amant that he won't send U.S. ground troops to bat- tle the Islamic extrem- ists. Obama was briefed on the military's overall cam- paign plan for Syria and Iraq when he met in Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday with Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command. Dempsey said Obama has not yet approved the plan, which Dempsey said in- cludes options for air- strikes in Syria and is inte- grated with a broader polit- ical and diplomatic effort to undermine the finances and recruiting power of the Is- lamic State. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama received a detailed and thorough briefing on plans that have been in the works for some time. "He was pleased with their work. But their work is ongoing and continues," Earnest said. Central Command an- nounced on Thursday that one of its airstrikes near an ISIL training camp south- east of the Iraqi city of Mo- sul overnight Thursday de- stroyed what it described as a large ISIL ground force, as well as two ISIL-occupied buildings and an armed vehicle. Dempsey said that be- fore training can start, the U.S. and certain allies must screen potential can- didates in Syria for compe- tence and loyalty. Initially, they will be provided small arms and other light weap- onry, Dempsey said, but that could graduate to more sophisticated weaponry — "once we know what's in their hearts." Some members of Con- gress expressed concern that because the rebels' fo- cus over three years of civil war has been to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, not fight the Islamic State group militants, they may be tempted to use the U.S.-led training for that ob- jective, instead of the U.S. priority of defeating the militant army. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday that Saudi Ara- bia would host the train- ing. Dempsey declined to specify a host country but said the training would be done in more than one country. The goal is to train at least 5,000 rebels within one year. It also will take time to acquire through contrac- tors the arms and equip- ment for training, he said. And once training is un- derway, it will be neces- sary to figure out how the rebels would be linked to a political entity inside Syria, Dempsey said, re- ferring to this as the most difficult of the current un- knowns. "What Syrians or what group of Syrians does this force report to and is ac- countable to? Because what we don't want to do is build a force that is accountable to us. That's not a long-term solution," he said. Dempsey provided new details about the intended design of the U.S.-trained rebel force. He said the in- tent is not to field small teams of guerrillas that would be turned loose in Syria. He said the focus would be on developing reb- els capable of leading a sub- stantial force. "We've got to build a chain of command. This is not about building little 10- or 12-man squads to go and conduct guerrilla tac- tics or go defend their vil- lage. This is working them to a point where they have leaders who can maneuver a couple of hundred of these opposition groups at a time. That takes a little time," he said, adding that this is the kind of training the U.S. military is capable of per- forming. Dempsey himself is a former wartime head of training Iraqi security forces. Asked whether the goal is to have the rebels capable of working in conjunction with U.S. air power in Syria, Dempsey said, "That's going to be an option that I'm go- ing to develop. The pres- ident hasn't made a deci- sion on that, but it is an option that I will prepare. Don't forget we're trying to build a coalition of capable partners that importantly should include — actually I would almost say must in- clude — Arab partners, and there are some pretty capa- ble Arab air forces in the re- gion." Dempsey said he would recommend to Obama that the rebel force be supported with air power. "That doesn't predis- pose it to have to be our air power," he added. Dempsey portrayed the Islamic State group as a threat to more than just Iraq and Syria. He said other Arab governments in the region are at risk. "I'd absolutely be concerned, as I think the Saudis are, that they would have aspirations for the eastern oil fields and maybe even challenge the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina," Dempsey said. "I think that ISIL will certainly threaten Leba- non in the near term, prob- ably Jordan in the midterm and then I think could very well threaten the kingdom of Saudi Arabia — at least the resources of the king- dom and the religious le- gitimacy of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he said. WASHINGTON US: Syrian rebel training may take 12 months before action J.SCOTTAPPLEWHITE—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS In this Tuesday photo, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. By Lauran Neergaard The Associated Press WASHINGTON It's time for flu vaccine again and while it's important for the whole family, this year health officials have some different advice for dif- ferent ages: Certain kids should opt for the ouch- less nasal spray. Seniors, expect to get a new kind of pneumonia shot along with that flu jab. And too many young and middle-age adults are skip- ping the vaccine altogether, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — even though there are more options than ever. "The best way to protect yourself against the flu is to get a flu vaccination," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden on Thursday, be- fore rolling up his sleeve to get his own flu shot. Some things to know about flu vaccinations: Whoshouldbe vaccinated The government recom- mends a yearly flu vaccine for nearly everyone start- ing at 6 months of age. Yet only about half of Amer- icans get one, a number Frieden called unfortu- nate. On average, the CDC estimates, flu kills about 24,000 Americans a year. How many are Vaccination rates last year were highest for chil- dren under 5 — 70 percent — and for seniors — 65 per- cent, the CDC said. But just a third of healthy adults ages 18 to 64 got vacci- nated and, surprisingly, last year hospitalizations were highest among that age group. About 55 percent of school-age children were vaccinated. Parents need to realize that flu vac- cine is crucial even for otherwise healthy chil- dren, said Dr. Paul Offit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. At least 100 U.S. children died of flu last year, only half of whom had lung condi- tions or other illnesses that put them at high risk and most of whom weren't vaccinated. About half of pregnant women get vaccinated. The shot can be given during any trimester, and also protects the baby dur- ing the first few months of life, said obstetrician Dr. Laura Riley of Massachu- setts General Hospital. The vaccine supply About 150 million doses are being shipped this year, with no signs of shortages or delays, Frieden said. About half will protect against four strains of influenza in- stead of the usual three, he said, as U.S. manufac- turers move toward vac- cines with that extra bit of protection. CDC doesn't recommend one over the other. Which kind to choose For the first time this year, the CDC says the ouchless FluMist nasal spray version is the pre- ferred vaccine for healthy children ages 2 to 8, after research showed it works a little better for them. But don't wait if your doc- tor has only the shot — just get them vaccinated, said Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. FluMist also can be used by healthy people ages 2 through 49 who aren't pregnant. If a squirt up the nose isn't for you, there are lots of other options: the regu- lar shot; an egg-free shot for those allergic to eggs; a high-dose shot just for those 65 and older whose immune systems may need an extra boost; and a tiny- needle shot that just pen- etrates the skin. The Food and Drug Administration also recently approved a needle-free injector to de- liver flu vaccine, although it's not clear how soon it will be widely available. New advice for seniors This year, the CDC is urging people 65 and older to get a new kind of pneu- monia vaccine along with their flu shot. Children already re- ceive Pfizer's Prevnar-13 to prevent a kind of bacte- ria, called pneumococcus, that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and other in- fections. Now seniors need a one-time dose, too, Frie- den said. That's in addition to a one-time dose of another long-used pneumonia vac- cine, called a polysaccha- ride vaccine. The caveat: The two pneumonia shots have to be given at least six months apart. If you've had neither so far, get the new kind first — along with this year's flu shot — and come back later for the second pneumonia vaccine, advised Schaffner. Together, the two pneumo- nia shots are expected to cut seniors' risk of pneu- mococcal infection by 45 percent, and the chance of severe disease by 75 per- cent, he said. When to get vaccinated "Now's the time," Frie- den said. It's impossible to predict when flu will start spreading and it takes about two weeks for pro- tection to kick in. Flu sea- son typically peaks in Jan- uary or February. HEALTH CDC tells healthy adults not to forget flu vaccine By Michael Virtanen The Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. The cou- ple accused of kidnapping two young Amish sisters in northern New York were chargedThursdayinfederal court with sexual exploita- tion of children and posses- sion of child pornography. Nicole Vaisey, 25, and Stephen Howells Jr., 39, of Hermon, already have pleaded not guilty to state kidnapping charges. They were being held without bail in St. Lawrence County and were taken to federal court Thursday in Syra- cuse to hear the five new charges. Handcuffed and wearing orange-and-white jail cloth- ing, they acknowledged in court they knew what was happening and said lit- tle else, the Syracuse Post- Standard reported. Magis- trate Judge Therese Wiley- Dancks appointed lawyers for both. Calls to their attorneys were not immediately re- turned. The 7- and 12-year-old girls were abducted last month from their family farm stand in rural Os- wegatchie, near the Ca- nadian border. Authori- ties say they were shack- led and sexually abused before being released the next day about 20 miles from home. The federal indictment unsealed Thursday in Syr- acuse says another young girl, now about 8 years old, also was sexually abused during the past two years. " T his indictment charges Howells and Vaisey with enticing and coercing children to en- gage in sexual conduct and making a video recording of it," said U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian, who addressed reporters. Both are now in federal custody with a detention hearing scheduled next week. Assistant U.S. At- torney John Duncan said the investigation is con- tinuing. NEW YORK Fe de ra l cha rg es f or p ai r in Amish kidnapping case By Mark Stevenson The Associated Press ARCELIA, MEXICO A woman says she saw Mex- ican soldiers shoot and kill her 15-year-old daughter af- ter a confrontation with a suspected drug gang even though the teenager was ly- ing wounded on the ground. Twenty others also were shot and killed in rural southern Mexico after they surrendered and were dis- armed, the mother told The Associated Press. The Mexican govern- ment has maintained that all died during a fierce shootout when soldiers were fired on in the early morning of June 30. That version came into question because government troops suffered only one wounded, and physical evidence at the scene pointed toward more selective killings. The witness said the army fired first at the armed group holed up at the warehouse. She said one gunman died in the initial shootout, and another gang member and her daughter were wounded. The rest of the gunmen surrendered on the promise they would not be hurt, she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. After the gang surren- dered, the girl, Erika Gomez Gonzalez, lay face down in the ground, a bullet wound in her leg. Soldiers rolled her over while she was still alive and shot her more than half a dozen times in the chest, her mother said. Another suspected gang member was injured in the initial attack. "A soldier stood the kid up and killed him," said the witness, who said she had gone to the warehouse the night before to try to re- trieve her daughter from the gang she had appar- ently joined. The soldiers interrogated the rest of the gang mem- bers in front of the ware- house, and then took them inside one-by-one, she said. From where she stood just outside the warehouse and in army custody, she heard gunshots and moans of the dying. Several days after the killings, AP reporters vis- ited and took pictures of the warehouse and found little evidence of sustained fighting. There were few stray bullet marks and no shell casings. At least five spots along the ware- house's inside walls showed the same pattern: One or two closely placed bullet pocks, surrounded by a mass of spattered blood, giving the appearance that some of those killed had been standing against the wall and shot at about chest level. After the AP report, the state of Mexico prosecutors' office released a statement saying there was "no evi- dence at all of possible ex- ecutions." The office said it found ballistic evidence of "crossfire with a propor- tionate interchange of gun- shots." The state government re- fused to release autopsy re- ports the AP requested un- der Mexico's freedom of in- formation law, declaring them state secrets to be guarded for nine years. Interviewed separately, relatives of three other gang members who were killed and a doctor who saw Erika's body said the wounds were consistent with the mother's account of how they were killed — with an incapacitat- ing wound and a burst of gunshots to the chest. The death certificate for Erika, seen by reporters, con- firmed that she died on June 30 outside the town of San Pedro Limon, where the killings occurred, and gave bullet wounds as the cause of death. There are no details in the certificate on ballistics or the type of weapon used. The grave- stones of two other of those killed, Marcos Salgado Burgos, 20, and his brother, Juan Jose Salgado Burgos, 18, also record their death on June 30. VIOLENCE 21 k il le d by M ex ic o ar my h ad s ur re nd er ed EDUARDO CASTILLO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A woman who did not want to give her name for fear of reprisals, holds up a photograph of her late 15-year-old daughter Erika Gomez Gonzalez, at her home in Arcelia, Mexico. The woman says she witnessed her child's death when army soldiers fired first at an armed group at a grain warehouse on June 30in the town of San Pedro Limon, Mexico. | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 4 B