Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, in statement issued Friday, said members of the U.S.-backed group it had abducted two days ago are no more than agents to 'America', with main role serves its projects and interests in the region.
Nusra Front had abducted late on Tuesday the leader of a U.S.-backed Division 30, Nadim al-Hassan, and a number of his companions while returning from a meeting in Azaz, north of Aleppo, in a blow to Washington's efforts to train and equip fighters to combat Islamic State.
In a statement that appeared to contradict comments from the Pentagon, Nusra Front said the men it was holding had entered Syria several days earlier and had been trained under the supervision of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The Pentagon has denied that any of the initial group of around 60 U.S.-trained rebels known as the "New Syrian Force" had been abducted. The chief of staff of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State also cast doubt the report on Friday.
"All the information that we have is that none of the ... new Syrian forces have been captured," Marine Corps Brigadier General Kevin Killea said in a briefing with reporters.
Nusra Front described its captives as agents of America and warned others they should abandon the training program. It also said the U.S.-led coalition had mounted air strikes against its positions during its battles with rebel.
In response, Nusra said U.S.-led coalition air strikes had killed 8 people, including 4 Nusra Front fighters on Tuesday in Kafr Hend village in the northern province of Idlib.
Meanwhile, fierce clashes flared up on Friday morning between Nusra Front and Division 30 fighters near Azaz town, casualties reported from both sides, according to Zaman al-Wasl.
According to Reuters, most of the 54 fighters who have so far completed a U.S.-led train and equip programmed in neighboring Turkey were from Division 30.
The train and equip program aims to bolster Syrian insurgents deemed politically moderate enough by the United States to fight the Islamic State group that has seized wide areas of Syria.
The Nusra Front, which Washington has designated a terrorist organization, has a track record of crushing U.S.-backed rebels in Syria. Last year, it routed the Syria Revolutionaries Front led by Jamal Maarouf, viewed as one of the most powerful insurgent leaders until his defeat.
It was also instrumental in the demise of the U.S.-backed Hazm Movement, which collapsed earlier this year after clashing with the Nusra Front in the northwest.
The U.S. military launched the program in May to train up to 5,400 fighters a year in what was seen as a test of President Barack Obama's strategy of getting local partners to combat Islamic State. (With Reuters)
Nusra Front had abducted late on Tuesday the leader of a U.S.-backed Division 30, Nadim al-Hassan, and a number of his companions while returning from a meeting in Azaz, north of Aleppo, in a blow to Washington's efforts to train and equip fighters to combat Islamic State.
In a statement that appeared to contradict comments from the Pentagon, Nusra Front said the men it was holding had entered Syria several days earlier and had been trained under the supervision of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The Pentagon has denied that any of the initial group of around 60 U.S.-trained rebels known as the "New Syrian Force" had been abducted. The chief of staff of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State also cast doubt the report on Friday.
"All the information that we have is that none of the ... new Syrian forces have been captured," Marine Corps Brigadier General Kevin Killea said in a briefing with reporters.
Nusra Front described its captives as agents of America and warned others they should abandon the training program. It also said the U.S.-led coalition had mounted air strikes against its positions during its battles with rebel.
In response, Nusra said U.S.-led coalition air strikes had killed 8 people, including 4 Nusra Front fighters on Tuesday in Kafr Hend village in the northern province of Idlib.
Meanwhile, fierce clashes flared up on Friday morning between Nusra Front and Division 30 fighters near Azaz town, casualties reported from both sides, according to Zaman al-Wasl.
According to Reuters, most of the 54 fighters who have so far completed a U.S.-led train and equip programmed in neighboring Turkey were from Division 30.
The train and equip program aims to bolster Syrian insurgents deemed politically moderate enough by the United States to fight the Islamic State group that has seized wide areas of Syria.
The Nusra Front, which Washington has designated a terrorist organization, has a track record of crushing U.S.-backed rebels in Syria. Last year, it routed the Syria Revolutionaries Front led by Jamal Maarouf, viewed as one of the most powerful insurgent leaders until his defeat.
It was also instrumental in the demise of the U.S.-backed Hazm Movement, which collapsed earlier this year after clashing with the Nusra Front in the northwest.
The U.S. military launched the program in May to train up to 5,400 fighters a year in what was seen as a test of President Barack Obama's strategy of getting local partners to combat Islamic State. (With Reuters)
Zaman Al Wasl
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