Al-Qaeda in Syria Releases Statement – Claims to Have Kidnapped US-Trained Rebels

US-trained Syrian rebels from Division 30 were immediately kidnapped this week as they entered Syria from Turkey.
syria rebels us

Al-Qaeda in Syria released a statement this weekend claiming that it has captured the US-trained rebels.

The US has only trained 60 Syrian fighters to take on ISIS.
Al-Qaeda just captured at least eight of the fighters which leaves around 50 to take on ISIS.

The Long War Journal reported:

The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released a statement claiming that it has captured US-trained rebels belonging to a group called “Division 30.” The statement, seen below, was released today on one of the group’s official Twitter feeds.

It is not clear how many fighters have been supposedly captured, but Al Nusrah says they are part of an American scheme that is opposed to the interests of the Syrian people. Al Qaeda’s branch claims the men entered the war “a few days ago” after “completing the training program” and accuses them of trying to form “the nucleus” of a “national army.” Al Nusrah blasts America’s attempt to bolster the “moderate opposition.”

The group alleges further that the fighters were coordinating their efforts with the US-backed coalition, which simultaneously bombed Al Nusrah Front positions, leaving “a number” of jihadists dead and wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has independently reported that coalition war planes bombed an Al Nusrah Front headquarters. SOHR’s reporting also lends credence to Al Nusrah’s description of the rebel faction, saying that “50 members of the Division 30 entered Syria in July…after finishing from a training course by western countries in Turkey.”

There has been much confusion concerning the fate of the US-backed rebels. Earlier this week, a statement attributed to “Division 30″ was posted online. The message’s authors accused Al Nusrah of capturing their leader and some of their fellow fighters.

The Pentagon refuted these claims, saying that no members of the New Syrian Force, as the US-backed fighters are called, had fallen into al Qaeda’s hands.

The US has only trained 60 Syrian fighters to take on ISIS.
ISIS has 20,000 to 30,000 fighters.

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

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