Syrian Rebels Trained By U.S. Gave Equipment To Al Nusra Front

U.S. Central Command, which oversees USA military operations in the Middle East, was told of the equipment surrender around 1 p.m. on Friday, Ryder said.

“Central Command originally denied that the equipment had made its way to the jihadist group“.

“If accurate, the report of NSF members providing equipment to al Nusra Front is very concerning and a violation of Syria train and equip program guidelines”, Ryder said, using an acronym for the rebels, called the New Syrian Forces.

The move has escalated tensions in an already conflict-stricken Syria.

The new controversy with the train-and-equip program was sparked by a series of Facebook and Twitter posts on Tuesday.

The development is another embarrassing setback for the USA effort to “train and equip” the so-called moderate Syrian militants to fight Daesh.

He said the group surrendered about 25 percent of their issued equipment.

US officials said the Syrians continue to insist that they have not relinquished any actual weapons to the Nusra Front and that all of their personnel are still accounted for. He advocated allowing the U.S.-backed Syrians to take on soldiers loyal to President Bashar Assad and creating “safe zones” in Syria protected by American special forces, two ideas that the Pentagon and the White House have repeatedly rejected. The weapons had been stolen by a commander affiliated with USA trained fighters, Anas Ibrahim Ubayad or Abu Zayd, after he reported defected, the group claimed.

This program is part of an ongoing “game” in the region that has resulted in U.S. “taxpayers’ money being spent into oblivion; money down a big rat hole”, Dean told Press TV in a phone interview on Sunday.

US officials said the fighter who handed the weapons over had received USA training and that Abu Zayd had not.