A Syrian rebel group that received TOW missiles as part of a CIA program officially partnered with a Syrian al-Qaeda branch today, announcing the new Tahrir al-Sham alliance.
As I reported in late November here at PJ Media, Nour al-Din al-Zenki was posting videos of their fighters firing CIA-provided TOW missiles.
And in the waning hours of his presidency, Obama bombed an al-Qaeda training camp that was jointly operated with Zenki, killing several of their fighters.
Now, just days later, Zenki is part of Tahrir al-Sham with Jabhat Fath al-Sham.
English-language translation of statement announcing Tahir al-Sham from pro-AQ jihadi channel: pic.twitter.com/XC48NZpHPx
— Thomas Joscelyn (@thomasjoscelyn) January 28, 2017
This has been in the works for at least several days as rebel groups have been vying for power, fracturing the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA):
FSA groups fighting AlQaeda today: Suqoor &Faylaq alSham.
FSA neutral so far: Free Idleb army/Fursan alHaq.
FSA siding with AlQaeda: Zinki— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) January 24, 2017
As others have noted, now al-Qaeda-allied Zenki is also supported by NATO ally Turkey:
#Turkey-backed #jihadist groups al-Zenki, #JaishAlSunna, Liwa al-Haqq & Ansar al-Din merge with al-#Qaida in #Syria to form Tahrir al-Sham.
— Konstantin Krammer (@KonstantinKlug) January 28, 2017
Members of Turkish proxy grps such as Sultan Murad & Zanki Brigades use Turkish flag on their uniforms #twitterkurds #Syria #EuphratesShield pic.twitter.com/av6VShSDJw
— curdistani (@curdistani) January 25, 2017
The al-Qaeda-allied Zenki rebels, who were deemed “vetted moderates” by the CIA, were not only using CIA-provided TOW missiles recently, but according to one report were in active communication with top State Department officials back in September:
U.S. diplomats had been in regular communication with these factions before, during and after the failed ceasefire. According to rebel sources, the core opposition factions with whom U.S. Special Envoy Michael Ratney has remained in contact include the Damascus-centered Army of Islam; opposition faction and Islamist movement Ahrar al-Sham; major Aleppo-area factions Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zinki and the Levant Front; and several others. The short list includes factions long considered outside the bounds of U.S. support or, in the case of Nour al-Din al-Zinki, that have been cut off from U.S. backing. All of them, however, would need to be on board for a successful ceasefire.
That the Obama State Department was still in communication with Zenki so recently is problematic not just because of their growing cooperation with Jabhat Fath al-Sham. Back in July, news that Zenki beheaded a child solider on video became public.
CIA-Vetted ‘Moderate’ Syrian Rebels Who Received U.S. TOW Missiles Behead Palestinian Child https://t.co/jBTxNrpIy8 #homelandsecurity
— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) July 20, 2016
Western rebel apologists like Middle East Institute’s Charles Lister were quick to distance Zenki from the CIA after Obama’s recent bombing of their joint terror training camp just over a week ago:
Just FYI – Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zinki formally lost its U.S. vetted status at least 16 months ago.#Syria #Aleppo
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) January 20, 2017
But back in June he was saying that while Zenki’s reputation had become problematic, they had begun receiving TOW missiles again from the CIA and were deemed “vetted”:
Reports of armed clashes & “arrests” last night, between US-vetted Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zinki & Jabhat al-Nusra in #Idlib.
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) June 2, 2016
@AbuJamajem It’s a blurry situation – but they are receiving TOWs again, likely as a test for getting fully back onto the “vetted” program.
— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) June 2, 2016
So when Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) says that the U.S. as a matter of policy has been working with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar to arm “rebel” groups openly allied with ISIS and al-Qaeda, she’s absolutely correct — notwithstanding the howls of protest by the “experts”:
I need your help to pass the #StopArmingTerrorists Act, HR 258 — an important bipartisan bill that is good for our country & our security. pic.twitter.com/iDzGQkASHP
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) January 15, 2017
For nearly three years I’ve been reporting here at PJ Media about the problems of the so-called Syrian “vetted moderate” “rebel” fighters, particularly their open associations with al-Qaeda and ISIS, in some cases defecting to those terrorist groups. This doesn’t seem likely to end soon, unless the U.S. backing comes to an end.
July 7, 2014: U.S. ‘Vetted Moderate’ Free Syrian Army Brigades Surrender Weapons, Pledge Allegiance to Islamic State
Sept. 3, 2014: U.S.-Backed Free Syrian Army Operating Openly with ISIS, Al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra
Sept. 9, 2014: Fighter With ‘Vetted Moderate’ Syrian Rebels Tells L.A. Times They Fight Alongside Al-Qaeda
Sept. 10, 2014: ‘Vetted Moderate’ Free Syrian Army Commander Admits Alliance with ISIS, Confirms PJ Media Reporting
Sept. 13, 2014: Yet Another U.S.-Backed Syrian Rebel Group Makes Peace with ISIS
Sept. 24, 2014: U.S.-Backed Syrian Group Harakat al-Hazm Condemns U.S. Strikes on ISIS as ‘Attack on the Revolution’
Nov. 2, 2014: U.S.-Armed ‘Vetted Moderate’ Syrian Rebel Groups Surrender, Defect to Al-Qaeda
Nov. 3, 2014: How Obama Walked Boehner and GOP Leadership Off the Syrian Rebel Cliff
Nov. 24, 2014: More Defections of ‘Vetted Moderate’ Free Syrian Army Rebels to ISIS
Dec. 2, 2014: US-Backed Syrian Rebels Ally with al-Qaeda in South, Surrender CIA-Supplied Weapons in the North
Dec. 14, 2014: Report: Al-Qaeda Using CIA-Supplied TOW Anti-Tank Missiles in Northern Syria
Dec. 28, 2014: NY Times Admits: U.S.-Backed Free Syrian Army Under Effective al-Qaeda Control
March 3, 2015: U.S.-Backed Syrian Rebel Group Collapses, U.S.-Supplied Weapons End Up in Al-Qaeda Hands
March 24, 2015: Video Shows Al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra Using U.S.-Provided TOW Anti-Tank Missiles in Syria
April 16, 2015: U.S. Analyst Admits ‘Moderate’ Syrian Rebels Have Been Working with Al-Qaeda All Along
May 8, 2015: CIA-Backed, “Vetted Moderate” Rebels Now Working Openly With Al-Qaeda
June 27, 2015: ISIS Using U.S. TOW Antitank Missiles In Latest Syrian Offensive
July 9, 2015: Report: ‘Vetted Moderate’ Free Syrian Army Fighting Alongside Al-Qaeda, Islamic State Against Assad Regime
July 23, 2015: U.S.-Funded Free Syrian Army Unit Shows Off Its Kidnapping Skills in New Training Video
July 27, 2015: #BringBackOurRebels: Obama’s 50-Man ‘Vetted Moderate’ Syrian Rebel Army Vanishes After Training in Turkey
July 29, 2015: #BringBackOurRebels Part 2: Al-Qaeda Arrests 18 U.S.-Trained Rebels On Their First Day in Syria
July 31, 2015: Report: Al-Qaeda Kills Five Members of Obama’s 54-Man Syrian Rebel Army
July 31, 2015: Chechen Terrorists In Syria Have Obtained U.S.-Provided TOW Anti-Tank Missiles
Sept. 22, 2015: Report: U.S.-Trained, ‘Vetted Moderate’ Syrian Rebel Leader Defects to Al-Qaeda, Turns Weapons Over to Terror Group
Oct. 27, 2016: New Video Shows Al-Qaeda Using Weapons U.S. Gave to ‘Vetted Moderates’
Nov. 24, 2015: U.S.-Backed Syrian Rebels Destroy Russian Helicopter with CIA-Provided TOW Anti-Tank Missile
July 20, 2016: CIA-Vetted, “Moderate” Syrian Rebels Behead Child Soldier
Sept. 3, 2016: British Journo: Syrian Kidnapper Who Shot Me Twice is Now a CIA-vetted ‘Moderate’
Sept. 6, 2016: New ISIS Commander Was Trained by State Department as Recently as 2014
Sept. 16, 2016: SHOCK VIDEO: U.S.-Backed, “Moderate” Free Syrian Army Threatens to Kill U.S. Special Forces
Sept. 29, 2016: U.S.-Backed Free Syrian Army Allies With Group that State Dept Designated LAST WEEK
Oct. 20, 2016: U.S. “Vetted Moderate” Syrian Rebels Defect to Al-Qaeda Affiliate
Nov. 22, 2016: Video Shows Syrian “Rebel” Group That Beheaded Child Still Using CIA-Provided TOW Missiles
Nov. 27, 2016: SHOCKING ADMISSION: ‘Secular’ Syrian Rebels Don’t Actually Believe in Secular Democracy
Jan. 21, 2016: Before Leaving White House Obama Bombs CIA-Vetted Rebels Embedded with Al-Qaeda
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