Northern Syria: Al-Nusra captures base of US-trained fighters

[Bleipriester]

This FSA replacement was meant to fight ISIS. It´s less than 60 members were either killed or captured by Al-Nusra, the leading fighting group of the "opposition" and official Al-Qaeda in Syria. It is not reported if some were able to flee the attack.

"Al-Qaeda Syrian branch, Al-Nusra Front, said it held captive members of Syrian Rebels who have been trained by the US Intelligence Agency.

The rebels, who have been detain on Friday in Northern Syria, belong to Division 30; a fighting faction formed, armed and trained by the United States with the aim to fight the notorious Islamic State in Syria.


Al-Nusra Front attacked the Division’s base on Friday, killing 5 rebels and detaining scores. The number of captured members hasn’t been identified yet.

In a statement posted online, the extremist group accused the United States of training ‘moderate opposition’, warning others against taking part of the “American Project’.

In response, the US warplanes carried out several airstrikes against the group’s positions near the northern city of Aleppo.

The United States has allocated $500 million for the Train-And-Equip program with the intention to prepare enough capable fighters to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The program was created to train 3000-5000 volunteers per year for three years. However, less than 60 rebels have actually concluded the program.

Out of the 1500 volunteers who passed the muster, hundreds were sent home due to various problems for being physically unfit or underage; some were disqualified for revealing extremist trends. In fact, few volunteers have shown interest in fighting the Islamic State’s militants, and rather preferred to battle against the Syrian Army and allied forces."

US-trained Syrian rebels detained by Nusra in northern Syria

 

[Bleipriester]

Abducted US-trained Syrian rebels released in northern Syria

"Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch, Jabhet Al-Nusra, has released on Sunday 7 members of the US-trained Division 30, including the group’s commander colonel Nadim al-Hassan, abducted last month in the Northern town of Azaz.

Division 30, trained and equipped by the US-led training program, crossed the Turkish borders into Syria last month and was deployed in the town of Azaz (nearly 32 km to the north of Aleppo).

Days after, the hardline militants of al-Nusra stormed the base, killing 5, wounding 18 and kidnapping several others. Those who survived the offensive fled back to Turkey.


In a statement released to justify the attack, al-Nusra said its militants attacked “US agents”, warning others against taking part in the “American Project”.

Division 30, a group of fighters deemed ‘moderate’ by the West, was meant to serve as the nucleus of a broader force capable of fighting the Islamic State (IS) in northern Syria. The move came under the agreement held recently between the US and Turkey to replace the ultra-hardline group (ISIS) along the Syrian borders with more moderate fighters.

According to Ammar Al-Waei, the spokesman of Division 30, it was the father of one of the detainees who communicated with al-Nusra and made a deal so that his son and other companions were released."

Abducted US-trained Syrian rebels released in northern Syria