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Russian air strikes hit CIA-trained rebels, commander says

Russian air strikes hit CIA-trained rebels, commander says

Thursday, October 01, 2015, 20:25 GMT+7

Two Russian air strikes in Syria on Thursday hit a training camp operated by rebel group that received military training from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, its commander said.

Hassan Haj Ali, head of the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal rebel group, told Reuters the camp in Idlib province was struck by around 20 missiles in two separate sorties.

Ali, a Syrian army captain who defected after the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, said some of the guards of the facility were slightly wounded in the attack.

The CIA has run an ostensibly covert training program for vetted Syrian rebel groups deemed moderate by Western states that have supported the uprising against Assad.

Ali said his fighters had attended several trainings in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It is at least the third "Free Syrian Army" group to report being targeted in air strikes which Russia says are targeting Islamic State.

U.S. Senator John McCain on Thursday said Russia's initial air strikes in Syria targeted recruits in the Free Syrian Army rebel group backed by the United States.

"I can absolutely confirm to you that they were strikes against our Free Syrian Army recruits that have been armed and trained by the CIA because we have communications with people there," McCain, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in an interview on CNN.

The U.S. and Russian militaries will hold talks at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday via secure video conference to seek ways to keep their militaries apart as they wage parallel campaigns of airstrikes in Syria, a U.S. defense official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Elissa Slotkin, an acting assistant secretary of defense, and a senior uniformed military officer from the Joint Staff would represent the Pentagon in the talks.

Reuters

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