Division 30 also acknowledged that it had not heard from Abu Zayd since his deployment into Syria, and felt compelled to disclaim any broad organizational link to al-Nusra. But they also said that Washington does not track New Syrian Force fighters once they enter Syria, so it is unclear whether the us military is aware of Abu Zayd’s current disposition.
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The program to train and equip fighters on the ground aligned with the US aim of ridding the country of ISIS has been pilloried on Capitol Hill. Sen.
Charles Lister of the Doha-based Brookings Institution said it was possible the U.S.-trained fighters had been intimidated by Nusra or other groups into denying their USA affiliation. In early August, the USA military lost control of its first class of 54 fighters as they dispersed shortly after receiving training. The unraveling of the first contingent prompted an outcry on Capitol Hill, and last week senior administration officials defended the program before skeptical lawmakers.
The U.S. Central Command confirmed Monday the graduates had re-entered Syria with their weapons and were operating alongside anti-Islamic State forces.
And Christine Wormuth, undersecretary of defense for policy, testified there were “between 100 and 120” additional fighters being trained in Turkey.
“We believe those reports to be false”, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters. The selected rebels are said to undergo a thorough vetting process to ensure they focus on the fight against the IS.
“I told them from the start I wouldn’t offer one man as long as the force was only going after Daesh”, a rebel commander using the Arab acronym for IS told VOA.
Among battles fought between Nusra Front and Islamic State is one for control of parts of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, where fighters from the Muhajireen Brigade could help tip the balance.
The statement triggered rumors that the group had defected to the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, fueled by photographs posted on social media by Nusra purportedly showing USA weapons that had been handed over by the Pentagon graduates. Last year, it routed two rebel militias, the Syria Revolutionaries Front and the Hazzm Movement. However, Pentagon officials appear to be distancing themselves from that moniker.
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Captain Ammar al-Wawi, the official spokesperson of Division 30 elaborated to The Daily Beast: “I can neither confirm nor deny that the defection has happened”. In response to the allegations, the US trained group, known as Division 30, posted a statement on its Facebook page saying it is investigating. Kurdish forces, fighting independently but with USA support, have seized key sections of northern Syria near Raqqa and the Turkish border.
