Division 30, a group of American-trained Syrian fighters, has reportedly betrayed the United States and turned over its arms to Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaida affiliate operating in Syria.
The U.S. Central Command said in a Monday statement that roughly 70 graduates of the “Syrian Train and Equip” program had re-entered Syria and would be fighting under the “New Syrian Forces” moniker, yet al-Nusra members claim that Division 30 had already joined the rebel group.
According to the Telegraph, several al-Nusra members claim that Division 30 commander Anas Obaid “had tricked the coalition because he needed weapons… [and] promised to issue a statement repudiating Divison 30, the coalition and those who trained him.”
The news of Division 30’s defection comes only days after Army Gen. Lloyd Austin admitted that only “four or five” US-trained fighters are actively combating ISIS in Syria, drawing concerns about the financial viability of the training program. (RELATED: General Admits We’ve Only Trained ‘Four Or Five’ Anti-ISIS Fighters [VIDEO])
[h/t: The Telegraph]