US suspends non-lethal aid to northern Syria

ISTANBUL — The United States has suspended all non-lethal assistance destined for rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's forces in northern Syria, US officials said yesterday, citing fears the aid could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda linked militants.

A US Embassy official in the Turkish capital, Ankara, said the United States was suspending all military aid such as night vision goggles and communication equipment to the opposition in northern Syria after ultraconservative opposition factions seized control of bases from the main Western-backed group on Friday.

The decision comes amid growing fighting between rival opposition factions, which have found themselves divided into the moderate, Western-backed Free Syrian Army and Islamic extremist groups. The infighting has diminished international confidence in the rebels and undermined the battle against Assad.

On Friday, fighters from the Islamic Front, an umbrella group of six major rebel groups, seized control of FSA bases at the Bab al-Hawa crossing between Syria and Turkey, as well as warehouses belonging to the FSA's Supreme Military Council, some containing non-lethal US aid. The SMC is led by Gen. Salim Idris, a secular-minded Western-backed moderate.

Idris and other FSA officials could not be immediately reached for comment

The Islamic Front is a new alliance of some powerful rebel groups that are independent of the FSA and seek to establish an Islamic state in Syria but insist they are not allied with al-Qaeda affiliates like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Jabhat al-Nusra, or Nusra Front.

The US Embassy official added that humanitarian assistance such as blankets and food would not be affected.

A Washington-based US official said the suspension of aid only applies to the opposition in northern Syria, adding that supply lines from Jordan in the south would continue.

The official said members of the Islamic Front are not considered to be terrorists, but not exactly moderate. The US fears that segments of the group have been in contact with al-Qaeda elements and are sympathetic to them, he added.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publically about the matter.