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U.S.-Backed Syria Rebels Routed by Fighters Linked to Al-Qaeda
(Washington Post) Liz Sly - On Sunday, moderate rebels who had been armed and trained by the U.S. either surrendered or defected to the extremists as the Jabhat al-Nusra group, affiliated with al-Qaeda, swept through the towns the moderates controlled in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, capturing significant quantities of weaponry. Other moderate fighters were on the run, heading for the Turkish border as the extremists closed in, heralding a significant defeat for the rebel forces Washington had been counting on as a bulwark against Islamic State. Among the groups whose bases were overrun was Harakat Hazm, the biggest recipient of U.S. assistance offered under a covert CIA program launched this year, including the first deliveries of U.S.-made TOW antitank missiles. The group's headquarters outside Khan Subbul was seized by Jabhat al-Nusra on Saturday after rebel fighters surrendered their weapons and fled without a fight. Another Western-backed group, the Syrian Revolutionary Front, on Saturday gave up its bases in Jabal al-Zawiya.