US confirms: US-trained Syrian rebels gave their weapons to al-Qaeda

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/09/us-confirms-us-trained-syrian-rebels-gave-their-weapons-to-al-qaeda

September 27, 2015 6:54 pm By Robert Spencer 4 Comments

I have taken a lot of heat for saying that there is no distinction in Muslim communities between “extremists” and “moderates” — that is, mosques haven’t generally expelled jihadis, have no programs to teach against the jihadist understanding of Islam that they ostensibly reject, etc. This incident shows that my statement is absolutely true: even the U.S. government, which supposedly “vets” these “moderates,” can’t discern that a man is a jihadi who supports al-Qaeda even while they spend a considerable amount of time training him. And probably the government’s response to this news will be to pour more taxpayer money into this failed program.

“Officials Confirm ‘Very Concerning’ Action U.S.-Trained Forces Took Upon Entering Syria,” by Oliver Darcy, The Blaze, September 25, 2015:

U.S. Central Command said it was notified Friday afternoon that U.S.-trained Syrian forces deployed to fight the Islamic State surrendered much of its coalition-issued equipment to a suspected Al Qaeda group upon entering Syria.
CENTCOM said the equipment was supposedly given to the Al Nusra Front, often referred to as Al Qaeda in Syria, in exchange for safe travel through the area.
“Today the NSF unit contacted Coalition representatives and informed us that on Sept. 21-22 they gave six pick-up trucks and a portion of their ammunition to a suspected Al Nusra Front intermediary, which equates to roughly 25 percent of their issued equipment,” said Col. Patrick Ryder, U.S. Central Command spokesperson.
He added, “If accurate, the report of NSF members providing equipment to Al Nusra Front is very concerning and a violation of Syria train and equip program guidelines.”…

No kidding, really?