ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ທຳນຽບຫ້າແຈກ່າວວ່າ ສະມາຊິກຂອງກຳລັງທັບໃໝ່
ຊີເຣຍ ຫຼື NFS ໄດ້ມອບລົດກະບະ 6 ຄັນແລະລູກປືນທີ່ໄດ້ຮັບ
ການຊ່ອຍເຫລືອ ຈາກກຸ່ມແນວໂຮມ ພາຍໃຕ້ການນຳພາ ຂອງ
ສະຫະລັດ ໃຫ້ແກ່ກຸ່ມ al-Nusra ທີ່ເປັນເຄືອຂ່າຍ ຂອງພວກກໍ່
ການຮ້າຍອາລກາອີດາ.
ຫລັງຈາກໄດ້ປະຕິເສດ ຕໍ່ລາຍງານຂ່າວໃນຂັ້ນຕົ້ນ ທີ່ວ່າພວກນັກລົບບາງຄົນຂອງກຳລັງ ທັບໃໝ່ຊີເຣຍ ໄດ້ມອບອຸບປະກອນ ທາງທະຫານ ໃຫ້ແກ່ກຸ່ມ al-Nusra ທຳນຽບຫ້າແຈ ກ່າວໃນວັນສຸກວານນີ້ວ່າ ຕົນໄດ້ຮັບແຈ້ງການ ຈາກກົມກອງຂອງກຳລັງທັບໃໝ່ຊີເຣຍ.
ພັນເອກ Patrick Ryder ໂຄສົກ ຂອງກອງບັນຊາການສະຫະລັດ ໃນເຂດພາກຕາເວັນ ອອກກາງ ກ່າວໃນວັນສຸກວານນີ້ວ່າ “ຖ້າຫາກຖືກຕ້ອງ ລາຍງານທີ່ວ່າສະມາຊິກຂອງກຳ
ລັງທັບໃໝ່ຊີເຣຍສະໜອງອຸບປະກອນໃຫ້ແກ່ກຸ່ມ al-Nusra ແມ່ນເປັນເລື້ອງທີ່ໜ້າກັງວົນ
ໃຈຫຼາຍ ແລະລະເມີດຕໍ່ກົດລະບຽບຂອງໂຄງການໃຫ້ການຝຶກແອບແລະສະໜອງອຸບປະ
ກອນໃຫ້ແກ່ຊີເຣຍ.”
ທ່ານກ່າວວ່າ ກຳລັງກອງທັບໃໝ່ຊີເຣຍ ມີລາຍງານວ່າ ໄດ້ມອບລົດບັນທຸກ ແລະລູກປືນ ເພື່ອເປັນການແລກປ່ຽນ ກັບການເດີນທາງຢ່າງປອດໄພ ຂ້າມເຂດຄວບຄຸມ ຂອງກຸ່ມ al-
Nusra.
ໃນຕົ້ນອາທິດນີ້ ກຸ່ມ al-Nusra ໄດ້ສົ່ງຮູບພາບອາວຸດປືນ ທີ່ກຳລັງປະສົມແຈກຢາຍໃຫ້ ຜ່ານທາງ Tweeter ແລະກ່າວອ້າງວ່າ ສະມາຊິກຈຸຫຼ້າສຸດຂອງກຳລັງທັບໃໝ່ຊີເຣຍໄດ້ ມອບອາວຸດທັງໝົດຂອງພວກເຂົາໃຫ້ ຫລັງຈາກໄດ້ກັບຄືນເຂົ້າໄປໃນຊີເຣຍເມື່ອອາທິດ ແລ້ວນີ້.
ໃນເວລານັ້ນ ທຳນຽບຫ້າແຈ ກ່າວວ່າ ຮູບພາບດັ່ງກ່າວເປັນຮູບເກົ່າທີ່ໄດ້ມາຈາກເຟສບຸກ ຂອງພວກນັກລົບກອງທັບໃໝ່ຊີເຣຍທີ່ໄດ້ຮັບການຝຶກແອບແລະສົ່ງເຂົ້າໄປປະຕິບັດງານ
ກ່ອນໜ້ານີ້.
ແຕ່ໃນວັນສຸກວານນີ້ ພັກເອກ Ryder ກ່າວວ່າ “ຈາກຂໍ້ມູນໃໝ່ ທີ່ໄດ້ຮັບມານັ້ນ ພວກເຮົາ ຢາກໃຫ້ການຄ້ຳປະກັນວ່າ ໄດ້ມີແຈ້ງໃຫ້ປະຊາຊົນຊາບ ໂດຍໄວເທົ່າທີ່ຈະໄວໄດ້ກ່ຽວກັບ ຄວາມຈິງດັ່ງທີ່ພວກເຮົາຮູ້ຈັກກັນໃນເວລານີ້.”
Members of the U.S.-trained New Syrian Force (NSF) gave the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front six pickup trucks and ammunition that had been supplied by the U.S.-led coalition, Pentagon officials say.
After earlier denying reports that some fighters had handed over gear, the Pentagon said Friday that it had received notification from the NSF unit.
"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," U.S. Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder said Friday.
He said the New Syrian Forces reportedly turned over the trucks and ammunition in exchange for safe passage through an al-Nusra area.
Earlier this week, al-Nusra Front tweeted an image of a Coalition-issued rifle and claimed that the newest NSF members had handed over all their weapons upon re-entering Syria last week.
At the time the Pentagon said the image was an old picture repurposed from the Facebook page of a previously deployed NSF fighter from a different training class.
But Friday, Ryder said, "In light of this new information, we wanted to ensure the public was informed as quickly as possible about the facts as we know them at this time."
Troubled Program
The train-and-equip program has been plagued by problems, according to analysts and U.S. lawmakers, since it was announced last year as part of Washington's strategy to defeat the Islamic State group by using indigenous forces.Congress allocated $500 million with the aim of training as many as 15,000 ideologically moderate fighters to combat the Islamic State group in Syria.
American lawmakers have fumed at its slow pace, and in July President Barack Obama voiced his frustration with the program, saying, "I have made it clear to my team that we will do more to train and equip the moderate opposition in Syria."
In July, al-Nusra abducted a commander and seven fighters from the program's first graduates just days after they deployed in Syria, following training in Turkey.The unraveling of the first contingent prompted an outcry on Capitol Hill, and last week senior administration officials defended the program before skeptical lawmakers.
General Lloyd Austin, chief of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee no more than five U.S.-trained Syrian fighters were left from the initial graduates.He acknowledged the program may be overhauled.
Syrian rebel commanders, who have been loath to volunteer men for the program, say the two biggest problems with the mission are how tightly Washington defines "moderate" and the Obama administration's insistence the train-and-equip force can only be used against Islamic State extremists and not against the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
The rebel fighters say Assad is responsible for many more deaths in Syria than the jihadists."I told them from the start I wouldn't offer one man as long as the force was only going after Daesh," a rebel commander using the Arab acronym for IS told VOA.He said he could see no purpose in weakening his forces, who are mainly fighting Assad's army, to take on the Islamic State group.
The al-Nusra Front, a rival to the Islamic State group, has targeted U.S.-backed rebels in Syria.Last year, it routed two rebel militias, the Syria Revolutionaries Front and the Hazzm Movement.