U.S.-trained rebels in Syria may have betrayed their American backers and given their weapons over to al-Qaeda in Syria, the British newspaper the Telegraph is reporting.
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“US Central Command has no indication that any New Syrian Forces fighters have defected to al-Nusra Front, contrary to several press and social media reports”.
“Approximately 70 graduates of the Coalition’s Syria Train and Equip Program successfully returned to Syria over the weekend and are now operating there as New Syrian Forces”.
Syrian rebel commanders, who have been loath to volunteer men for the program, say the two biggest problems with the mission are how tightly Washington defines “moderate” and the Obama administration’s insistence that the train-and-equip force can be used only against Islamic State extremists and not against the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
Pentagon officials on Monday insisted their weapons were still under the control of a moderate parent group.
Last week, before the insertion of the new fighters, the United States general overseeing efforts against IS drew disbelief from senior lawmakers when he told them only “four or five” US-trained rebels were on the ground fighting in Syria. The selected rebels are said to undergo a thorough vetting process to ensure they focus on the fight against the IS.
“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, we, the grouping of revolutionaries of Atareb and its countryside, announce that we are outside Division 30 Infantry and we are an independent faction working on the Syrian lands in isolation from coordination with the worldwide coalition“, he wrote.
“We do have contact, we have communications with members of the group and our understanding from being in touch…is that all are present and accounted for, as are their weapons”, Davis said.
Their weapons and equipment are also still under the control of those rebels, Davis insisted.
A group of fighters trained under a joint U.S.-Turkish program have handed their weapons to al-Qaida shortly after arriving in Syria.
The American program to train rebels to fight ISIS was once housed under the title of “Division 30”.
In the statement, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad al-Dhaher complained of insufficient numbers of trainees and fighters, inadequate supplies, and even “a lack of accuracy and method in the selection of Division 30’s cadres”.
Gen. Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that the U.S.is looking at better ways to deploy the Syrian forces, but he agreed that the US will not reach its goal of training 5,000 in the near term.
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“This situation unites us… and from there, we the Jaish wal Ansar al-Muhajireen declare our allegiance to Al-Nusra Front”, said the statement.
