GAZIANTEP, TURKEY - The kidnapping of a group of U.S.-trained moderate Syrians moments after they entered Syria last month to confront the Islamic State was orchestrated by Turkish intelligence, multiple rebel sources have told McClatchy.
The rebels say that the tipoff to al Qaida’s Nusra Front enabled Nusra to snatch many of the 54 graduates of the $500 million program on July 29 as soon as they entered Syria, dealing a humiliating blow to the Obama administration’s plans for confronting the Islamic State.
Rebels familiar with the events said they believe the arrival plans were leaked because Turkish officials were worried that while the group’s intended target was the Islamic State, the U.S.-trained Syrians would form a vanguard for attacking Islamist fighters that Turkey is close to, including Nusra and another major Islamist force, Ahrar al Sham.
Update #1: Turkey Tipped Off Al Qaeda Group that Grabbed U.S.-Trained Fighters, Syrian Rebels Say -- Washington Free Beacon
Update #2: Syrian rebels claim Turkey tipped off al Qaeda against US-trained fighters -- BGN News
WNU Editor: The Syrian rebels have not provided any proof for this accusation ... but Turkey has proven itself more than once in the past to be a very unreliable ally in the region, and the Turkish government of Erdogan have made it very clear that they see the Kurds and the Syrian government of Assad as the enemy, and not necessarily groups like Al Qaeda's Syrian linked group Al-Nusra.
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