Syrian group says Nusra abducts its leader, in blow to US plan

The majority of Syrian rebel fighters who have completed training by the United States are from the Division 30 group.

US officials think Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey is close to many Islamic State strongholds, and expanding US operations there would cut response times for US aircraft and increase the efficiency of anti-militant operations. Turkey and the U.S. agreed to push the group from there, replacing its militants with relatively more-moderate Syrian insurgents and eventually establishing a safe zone where tens of thousands of displaced Syrians could live.

Turkey’s involvement could have far-reaching consequences.

The $500-million programme run out of Turkey is intended to build a force that will fight the Islamic State group on the ground.

Islamic State’s insurgents have been targeting strongholds of Nusra and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the northern countryside of Aleppo with suicide attacks since months.

Opposition sources said a group of 18 rebels, including Hassan, entered Syria from Turkey before being abducted. The zone likely would stretch between the towns of Azaz to the west and Jarablous to the east, and it probably would reach as far south as al-Bab. Many may be encouraged to return to Syria under U.S. and Turkish protection.

“NATO allies follow developments very closely and stand in solidarity with Turkey”, Stoltenberg said. However, in the absence of a no-fly zone to neutralize Assad’s warplanes, it is not clear how the possible buffer zone could be considered a safe haven.

On Tuesday, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ambassadors were to meet in emergency session in Brussels at Turkey’s request on Turkey’s decision last week to conduct airstrikes against ISIS in Syria while also taking action in Iraq against the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) faction, which is considered a terrorist group by the U.S.

The Ministry stressed that the Turkish government is directly responsible for the shedding of Syrian blood and the humanitarian suffering of millions of Syrians inside and outside Syria as a result of the Turkish government’s support for terrorism.