WASHINGTON: The U.S. military says a Syrian rebel commander who surrendered coalition-provided equipment to an al-Qaeda affiliate did not attend an American training program but a number of his soldiers did.
U.S. officials have for days been trying to sort out what happened last week, when reports surfaced that some U.S. equipment was given to an intermediary linked to the Nusra Front.
Col. Pat Ryder, U.S. Central Command spokesman, says the commander was vetted by the U.S., but contrary to initial information, was not in the U.S. training program. The commander told officials he surrendered six trucks and some ammunition to the Nusra Front, totaling about 25 percent of the unit's coalition-provided supplies.
The report underscores persistent problems with efforts to train and equip Syrian rebels to fight ISIS.