Division 30 Failure

The Pentagon program to train and supply Syrian rebel forces had been suspended, following repeated failures, including U.S. trained troops being captured or defecting.
The strategy of arming and training vetted Syrian rebels in Turkey, before infiltrating them into Syria had been the showcase for the Obama administration’s efforts in Syria.

So far however, Division 30, as the group has been called, has failed.

Members of the band of U.S. trained fighters, turned over their weapons and equipment on Sept. 22 to Al Qaeda’s affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra shortly after crossing the border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported seventy-five Division 30 fighters entered Syria from Turkey with “12 four wheel vehicles equipped with machine guns and ammunition.” Eight Division 30 members were captured at the checkpoint near the city of Zahart al-Malkia.

Following this, a man of Jahabat al-Nussra wrote on Twitter “A strong slap for America…the new group from Division 20 that entered yesterday hands over all of its weapons to Jabhat al-Nusra after being granted safe passage. They handed over a very large amount of ammunition and medium weaponry and a number of pick-ups.”
The defectors were apparently led by Major Anas Obaid (a.k.a. Abu Zayd), who reportedly told Al Nusra that he had purposefully tricked the Americans in order to acquire weapons.

US Central Command confirmed around 70 graduates entered Turkey to join the Syrian Kurds in fighting IS. Division 30’s chief of staff Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad al-Dhaher resigned saying the program was “not serious”.
The first batch of Division 30 troops, which entered Syria in July, were captured or killed by Al Nusra, after their headquarters was overrun.

Despite the vetting process the U.S. continues to find itself unable to find reliable personnel for Division 30. Vladimir Putin mocked the U.S. program when he addressed Division 30 in his UN speech saying, “First, they are armed and trained and then they are defect.”

It is clear the $500 million dollar program has been, and continues to be a failure, and suspending the program is the right decision.