The New Syrian Army (NSA), a small rebel group that was shaped in the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, is considered the only faction of all those taught by American instructors that kept fighting against its enemies after receiving training and American guns.
However, this success is at risk, according to the group’s leader, a former officer of the Syrian Army, Lt. Col. Mohammed Tallaa. He said that the NSA had several fighters killed after Daesh attacked the group’s base using a mine-strewn vehicle on May 7. Although Tallaa declined to comment on the exact number of casualties in the incident and on the overall number of fighters in the group, he said that the attack was a sensitive blow to the faction.
Tallaa underscored that prior to the attack the group had few members, and lacked guns and other equipment. The Americans vowed to allocate supplies to the NSA, but broke their promise, he added.
“I’m not saying the Americans let us down, but there is dereliction of duty. They are not doing what they could,” he told the Washington Post. “We don’t want the Americans to disrespect the lives of our men.”
In the aftermath of the attack, US jets carried out a row of attacks against Daesh positions in the area, Warren said. The NSA rebels were provided with new weapons, he added.
In March, the Pentagon announced the shutdown of its train-and-equip program that failed to achieve its initial objectives of creating factions capable of countering Daesh. Later, the US decided to revive the effort, but on a smaller scale.
