Muzaffar Salman/Reuters
Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast: Exclusive: U.S. Allies Now Fighting CIA-Backed Rebels
Not long ago, U.S. jets and Shia militias worked together to battle ISIS. Today, those militias are trying to take down American proxies in Syria.
Iraqi militias who once fought ISIS with U.S. help are now working with Russian and Iranian forces to crush American-backed rebels in the strategic Syrian city of Aleppo, two defense officials have told The Daily Beast.
At least three Shia militias involved in successful battles against ISIS in Iraq—the Badr Brigade, Kata’ib Hezbollah, and the League of the Righteous—have acknowledged taking casualties in fighting in south and southeast Aleppo province. U.S. defense officials confirmed to The Daily Beast that they believe “at least one” unit of the Badr Brigade is fighting in southern Aleppo alongside other Iraqi militia groups. Those groups are backed by Russian airpower and Iranian troops—and all of whom are bolstering President Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian Arab Army.
Reports on social media say the Iraqi militias in Syria are armed with U.S. tanks and small arms they procured on the Iraqi side of the border. Those reports could not be independently confirmed.
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WNU Editor: I do not know if the above Daily Beast article is accurate .... but if it is .... it is just one more example of U.S. leadership, policy and planning in the Middle East being in disarray. As for Syria's rebel groups, they are clearly under strain .... Syria rebels mull joining jihadis amid Russia-backed regime gains (Financial Times). More here .... Besieged Syrian Rebels Want Weapons, Not Food (Vocativ).