In yet another blow to America's Syria strategy, US backed Syrian rebels surrendered to al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group on Sunday.
According to the Washington Post, al-Nusra fighters routed the Syrian rebels from their main northern strongholds, capturing significant quantities of weaponry, triggering widespread defections and ending hopes that Washington will readily find Syrian partners in its war against the Islamic State.
The US-led coalition had been actively supporting rebel groups- the Harakat Hazm and the Syrian Revolutionary Front (SRF) - by providing them with arms and ammunition for the past six months.
The al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria stormed villages controlled by the Harakat Hazm and SRF forcing them to give up their military bases in northern Idlib province and Jabal al-Zawiya respectively.
The report quoted a senior Defense Department official as saying the Pentagon "is monitoring developments as closely as possible" but could "not independently verify" reports from the ground.
