Did Trump admin ask CIA to stop support to rebels in Syria?

CIA has been supplying light and heavy ammunition like antitank missiles, mines and grenades to rebels of the FSA.

Washington, Feb 23: In what is believed as shift in the policy of US under Donald Trump, the White House has instructed the Central Intelligence Agency to stop military support to armed rebels who are associated with the Free Syrian Army, a group opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Commanders of rebel groups in Syria however believe that the move is temporary and that they will start getting aid from US again. US has been supplying light and heavy ammunition, to the armed rebels who operate under the umbrella of the FSA. CIA has been supplying rebels with antitank missiles, mines and grenades.

Reporters of Reuters spoke to senior rebel leaders from five-armed rebel groups which work under the FSA to confirm the news that CIA has been instructed a month back by the White House to stop all assistance to the rebel groups. The rebel leaders informed Reuters that no official reason was given for sudden freeze in all assistance from CIA.

As Donald Trump during his election campaign had said that he will stop all support to the FSA and focus on defeating the Islamic State, the rebel leaders believe that this change in CIA's attitude can be result of change in broader policy shift in White House.

Some rebel commanders in Syria believe that the freeze in the assistance by CIA was due to attacks against them by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, a Sunni militant group. The group was earlier allied to al-Qaeda. The rebels believe that CIA has stopped aid fearing the weapons supplied to them will end up in hands of Sunni terrorists. The rebels believe that support will be stopped till the time FSA pushes back the jihadis.

Reuters had in its report put comments of two anonymous CIA officials who are familiar with its operations in Syria. One official had said that CIA freezing assistance to FSA rebels had no link with the change in guard in the US. Second official had told Reuters that Trump's Syria policy was not known.

Meanwhile, CIA refused to comment on the issue when contacted by various newspapers and news agencies.

OneIndia News