Routed by al-Qaeda, US-Backed Syria Rebels Dissolve

Remaining Fighters to Join Another Islamist Faction in Aleppo

The first of several US-armed Syrian rebel groups to show off their newly acquired heavy weaponry to the CIA, the Hazm Movement has today announced its dissolution.

The Hazm fighters had been a target of al-Qaeda in recent months, with al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front targeting them in retaliation for US airstrikes. The group had lost virtually all of its bases and is now simply giving up outright.

The statement says that what fighters remain and intend to continue their involvement in the rebellion will be joining the Shamiyah Front, which is an alliance of several Islamist factions active in Aleppo.

What happened to the anti-tank missiles the CIA gave the Hazm Movement is totally unclear, but as with other US arms shipped to Syria they likely ended up dispersed among factions, both friend and enemy, long ago.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.