And yet we’re being told U.S. weapons won’t fall into jihadist hands.
Via LWJ:
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, has claimed that it launched three separate operations in recent months with various other Syrian rebel groups, including Islamist units and the Free Syrian Army. In one of the attacks in Idlib, more than 2,000 fighters from seven different units participated in a two-week siege that resulted in the overrunning of several military camps.
The claims were made in a series of statements that were released on jihadist Internet forums on July 21 and July 29. The statements were obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.
The largest joint operation took place in the countryside in Idlib province between May 8 and May 22. The Al Nusrah Front claimed that “2,000 fully-equipped mujahideen” from eight different “brigades” fielded “8 tanks, a BMP armored vehicle,” and an assortment of mortars, rockets, machine guns, and other heavy weapons.
In addition to the Al Nusrah Front, the other seven Syrian rebel units that participated in the attack were: Liwa al Tawhid, or Unity Brigade, a large Free Syrian Army unit; Ahrar al Shimal, a unit within the Liwa al Tawhid; Ahrar al Sham, a large Islamist unit that often fights alongside the Al Nusrah Front; Suqur al Sham; a Free Syrian Army unit in Idlib; Liwa al Hurriya, another Free Syrian Army formation; Liwa al Haq; Deraa al Thawra; and Deraa al Jabal.
The Al Nusrah Front explained that it decided to assist the Syrian rebel units after they failed to take control of the camps despite laying siege to the area for more than three months. The Syrian military units and government-backed irregular forces were defeated on May 22, the Al Nusrah Front claimed.
The al Qaeda-linked terror group also said that in another attack, on June 14, it worked with four other rebel groups to overrun “the Military Housing Foundation” in Idlib. During that operation, the Al Nusrah Front partnered with the Ahrar al Sham, Liwa al Tawhid, Ahrar al Shimal, and Liwa al Haq.