Syrian rebels see U.S. abandoning them

Administration officials confirmed to me that there has been an intentional refocusing of lethal assistance away from the rebel groups in the north, which are supplied from a coordination cell in Turkey, to FSA-related groups in the South, which covertly receive arms through a separate cell in Jordan. These officials insist that this is a refocus of the effort, from north to south, not a drop in the U.S. commitment to aid the rebels.

The Free Syrian Army groups no longer getting arms, however, are not so sure. They see this as one more sign that the Obama administration doesn’t see them as a reliable partner. For the FSA, its a problem compounded by they fact they are still seen inside Syria as allies of the West.
“We got the stigma of being a U.S. supported group, but without the support. We have a huge American flag our back but not a gun in our hands,” the senior FSA official said. “The Americans say the FSA is not organized and can’t deal with Nusra, and we say well if you support us then we will be able to deal with them.”