US tells Syrian opposition not to target Assad

A local Syrian group that was part of the US-led coalition in Syria has left after being told that forces allied to the US had to focus exclusively on fighting Daesh and not fight against the Syrian regime.

Militant group Shuhada Al-Qaretain which means “Martyrs Brigade of the two villages” left the coalition to carry out their own military operations.

Their departure follows confirmation by the head of US Special Operations Command, General Tony Thomas, of a report that the Trump administration had ended a classified CIA programme to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria. In a tweet on 25 July, US President Donald Trump had accused the Washington Post of fabricating the news that the funding had ended.

The Amazon Washington Post fabricated the facts on my ending massive, dangerous, and wasteful payments to Syrian rebels fighting Assad…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017

The decision by the US to cut funding to rebel groups is reported to have led to tension between the US army and rebel fighters.

Read: Trump ends CIA arms support for anti-Assad Syria rebels

Coalition spokesman of the US Army, Colonel Ryan Dillon, told CNN: “The coalition supports only those forces committed to fighting ISIS [Daesh].” He confirmed that leaders of Shuhada Al-Qaretain have been instructed not to pursue other objectives and that the coalition would no longer support their operations.

The departure of the group further highlights the fact that the US has narrowed its focus in Syria by working with local groups which it refers to as “Vetted Syrian Opposition”, in its campaign against Daesh. Its vetting system suggests that many of the groups which the US had been funding and working closely with in Syria are now turning their attention to the government of Bashar Al-Assad.