CENTCOM Denies Syrian Allies Kidnapped

The US Department of Defense has denied a group of its Syrian rebel trainees has been kidnapped by Jabhat al-Nusra (the Nusra Front), Middle East Eye reported.

The highly embarrassing abduction of the members of a US-backed battalion of the Free Syrian Army called Division 30, including their leader, Nadim Hassan, was widely reported on Wednesday.

Division 30 itself issued a statement condemning the capture of Hassan and an unspecified number of fighters, who were returning from a co-ordination meeting in Azaz, in the Aleppo province.

It called on its “brothers” in Nusra Front to release its captives and stressed unity against the Syrian military. Local news sites are also reporting ongoing negotiations for the group’s release.

However a CENTCOM spokesperson “categorically denied that any of its graduates were captured by al-Nusra Front this week,” Middle East Eye said.

US officials had previously indicated that some 54 fighters from Division 30 had received training as part of a US plan to “train and equip” moderate rebels that has been widely criticized as a failure. Under the latest version of the US$500-million program launched in April, some 15,000 rebels are to be trained over three years.

However, US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter admitted earlier this month that only 60 recruits had been through the training so far due to vetting and other issues.

Erdogan Accused of Exploiting Syria War to Suppress Kurds

The head of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party has suggested Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan launched air strikes in Syria and Iraq not to fight “terror” but to prevent Kurds from moving towards autonomy.

“Turkey carried out a couple of air strikes against Islamic State just for show, without causing serious damage to it, nor is Islamic State feeling serious pressure from Turkey,” Selahattin Demirtas, leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, said in an interview with Reuters. “Turkey’s operations do not aim at taking measures against Islamic State. The main objective is to prevent the formation of a Kurdish entity in northern Syria.”

Last Friday, Ankara carried out air strikes against ISIS in northern Syria and against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the bombings a “synchronized fight against terror”.

Ankara has labeled the PKK a terrorist group. However, the situation is complicated as its armed wing has proven to be Washington’s most effective ally in the fight against ISIS in Syria.

Britons Support More ISIS Bombing: Poll

An opinion poll published by the Independent newspaper shows that Britons overwhelmingly support extending UK air strikes against ISIS into Syria.

The poll is expected to give a boost to David Cameron’s drive to extend the bombing campaign. The prime minister will seek the approval of lawmakers when they return from their summer break in September.

According to the poll conducted for the newspaper by ORB, 67 per cent of the public support air strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, while 33 per cent oppose the proposal.

However, the survey of 2,000 people also found that most Britons – 59 percent – oppose the use of UK ground troops against ISIS, while 41 percent approved of that tactic.

Recommended Reads

• The National: It’s Time the West Understood Why Syria Matters
• The Guardian: An ‘Isis-free Zone’ Is Nothing But a Road to US Mission Creep
• Newsweek: Unhappy Birthday: Syrian Refugee Camp, Home to Thousands, Turns 3
• Al Jazeera: Who’s Who in the Fight against ISIL in Northern Syria
• The Guardian: The Man with the Toughest Job in the World
• The National Interest: Turkey Confronts its ‘Frankenstein’ in Syria
• Al Arabiya: Bombing ISIS and the Kurds without a Syria Strategy
• New York Daily News: Rescuing Syria’s Christians: George Weidenfeld’s Noble and Lonely Campaign