Syrian group says Al Nusra abducts its leader, US casts doubt

ANKARA/BEIRUT — Al Qaeda-linked fighters have abducted the leader of a US-backed rebel group in north Syria, opposition sources and a monitoring group said, but the Pentagon cast doubt on the reports.

A statement issued in the name of the rebel group, Division 30, accused Al Qaeda's Syria wing Al Nusra Front of abducting Nadim Al Hassan and a number of his companions in a rural area north of Aleppo. It urged Al Nusra to release them.

A Syrian activist and a second opposition source said most of the 54 fighters who have so far completed a US-led "train and equip" programme in neighbouring Turkey were from Division 30. The programme trains and equips Syrian fighters to combat the hardline Daesh group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that reports on the war, said the men were abducted while returning from a meeting in Azaz, north of Aleppo, to coordinate efforts with other factions. The opposition source said they were abducted on Tuesday night.

The Pentagon had seen the reports but had no information to provide, spokeswoman Commander Elissa Smith said.

"While we will not disclose the names of specific groups involved with the Syria Train and Equip programme, I can confirm that there have been no New Syrian Force personnel captured or detained," she said.

The train and equip programme aims to bolster Syrian insurgents deemed politically moderate enough by the United States to fight Daesh, which has seized wide areas of Syria.

Al Nusra Front, which Washington has designated a terrorist organisation, has a track record of crushing US-backed rebels in Syria. Last year, it routed the Syria Revolutionaries Front led by Jamal Maarouf, viewed as one of the most powerful insurgent leaders until his defeat.

It was also instrumental in the demise of the US-backed Hazzm Movement, which collapsed earlier this year after clashing with Al Nusra Front in the northwest.

The US military launched the programme in May to train up to 5,400 fighters a year in what was seen as a test of President Barack Obama's strategy of getting local partners to combat Daesh.

But many candidates were declared ineligible and others dropped out. US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said it has fallen far behind plans.

Washington and Ankara this week announced their intention to provide air cover for Syrian rebels and jointly sweep Daesh militants from a strip of land along the border, with U.S. warplanes using bases in Turkey for strikes.

But the United States and Turkey have not yet agreed which Syrian rebels they will support in the effort.