Late last month, the first US-trained rebels from a group called “Division 30,” also called the New Syrian Forces (NSF) by US officials, arrived in northern Syria. The faction is the result of hundreds of millions of dollars in US spending to create a new force, but amounted to only 54 people. It’s getting progressively smaller.
Almost immediately after arriving, the rebels ran afoul of Syrian al-Qaeda faction Jabhat al-Nusra, who captured between eight and 18 of them. Not long thereafter, more fighting left one of the NSF dead, and today al-Qaeda is confirmed to have captured another 5 fighters.
Losing a few fighters here or there would normally be seen as “acceptable losses,” but with only 54 rebels to start with, there could be as few as 30 of the NSF fighters even left in the field, depending on just how many have actually been taken by al-Qaeda.
Al-Qaeda issued a statement on Friday confirming the first round of detentions, warning that rebels should abandon any training and cooperation with the US. Despite confirmation of captures from multiple sources, the Pentagon so far denies anyone was captured.
Hundreds of millions of dollars to train 54 people and about half of them are gone, it is a win win situation for those contractors who are doing the training.
We can expect the government to start spending double of what they already have. The program doesn't work? Irrelevant. The point is to waste taxpayer's money.
and we've give our government/DoD oodles of it.
All baloney–Diversion
Appropriate name: Division 30. There are exactly 30 left, if we take away the silly qualifier of "eight or eighteen" captured, and assume 18. It raises the question if those are nothing more then a tripwire. Why otherwise even send them. Turkey, according to the agreement, will not fly over this new "zone", and can hit the zone only with long distance artillery. How will Turkey or Syria accept being forbidden to return attack from ISIS? This looks like ISIS Protection Plan — as nobody is allowed to attack them! It is ISIS that will get rid of the stray ones, like al-Nusra or Al-Qaeda — and then, the thirty-something will take over the ISIS, in new uniforms of "new" or "newer" "Syrian" Army. Whatever happened to Free Syrian Army? Disappeared as well? They mostly rejoined Syrian forces, as they were real Syrians, as opposed to ISIS — the offspring of Gen Petraeus Sunni movement The Awakening, the group armed and trained to supposedly fight against Al-Qaeda, and it graduated into full blown mercenary army, taking shots at all the geopolitically important targets: Bagdad's Shia militias, cutting off Kurds in Iraq from Bagdad by taking of Mosul, attacking Assad's allies, Syrian Kurds, and eventually getting the Turkey's Kurds into action, as well as some old fashioned terrorism inside Turkey to force its hand. And every now and then, they show up PRECISELY where US interests need to be advanced. Hence, showing up in Libya, to molest Tripoli based government, the one US does not recognize, and naturally, in the highlands of Yemen, to molest Zaidi (Hutis) controlled areas. And, incidentally, in Sinai, to insure Al-Sisi knows who's the boss, apple sauce!
The problem will arise if somebody thinks that Turkey need "more incentives" and a terrorist attacks comes from the area now off limits to everyone except ISIS and US "thirty". Turkey will have to hit ISIS, and will then US hit Turkey, as they are "forbidden" to act on their own borders with the "buffer zone". Many things can go wrong here. In the meantime, Russia and Saudi Arabia are supporting a plan for ending crisis in Syria. Syrian officials have discussed it in Riyadh, and now, it appears that Iran will bring the plan up to the UN SC. It is a fairly simple plan, that involves a cease fire, and internationally supervised elections. It is absolutely sure that Iraq and Egypt will be behind the plan, and if Turkey can be convinced — US will remain isolated. It is possible that Turkey will demand that Assad cannot run for the presidency, and if that is agreed upon — what further "weapons of interstellar destruction" can US find in order to prolong the conflict? It is quite possible that Assad will step down, and that his ruling party and other existing parties will agree on election formula. US will not like it, as the outsiders that were groomed to come in and rule Syria, will not be accepted by either ruling party or legitimate Syrian opposition. It looks like the consensus behind the plan is growing — but US may instead try to provoke a conflict involving Syrian army, in order to start a bombing campaign, that will allow ISIS to spring in — just like it allowed the assorted Islamist extremists to take Libya to pieces, once the government in Tripoli was overwhelmed by bombing. This scenario nobody wants — not Jordan, not Iraq, not Turkey, not Egypt, and most of Arab countries. If Saudi Arabia goes along with Iran's plan in UN — or it chooses to collaborate with them on the plan, that would be a game changer. So far, we have only three facts to go on for sure: one, Russia and Saudi Arabia have an agreement. Syria came to Riyadh to hammer it out. Iran is coming with the plan to UN SC. The plan is based on UN Special Representative Plan.
Let us see how will neocons get their wish of more, more, and more money for their military contractors friends, friends and relatives, and their friends.
USG not stupid enough to think they can take over Syria with 50 guys. Obviously, it's part of a better strategy not being broadcast.