Syrian Rebel Leader Defects to Al-Qaeda,

Reports since yesterday indicate that a U.S.-trained Syrian rebel leader has deceived his American handlers and has defected to Jabhat al-Nusra — the official al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

This report comes just days after a senior U.S. military commander told Congress that only 4 to 5 U.S.-trained Syrian fighters are effectively engaged against ISIS as a result of a $500 million program pushed through by GOP congressional leadership a year ago. Since July 2014, I have repeatedly covered the frequent defections of “vetted moderate” Syrian rebel groups to al-Qaeda and ISIS here at PJ Media.

Late yesterday, the reports that Atareb rebel commander Anas Obaid had defected to Jabhat al-Nusra and turned over his weapons began to emerge: