DEFECTION

Russia Recruiting U.S. Allies in Syria

Armed by the CIA.

Russia is recruiting current and former U.S. rebel allies to its side in Syria. A commander who once received aid (cash and weapons) from the CIA, as part of a program that backed rebel groups against ISIS and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, said he is now being recruited to work for Russia—America’s rival in Syria. “They told me, ‘We will support you forever. We won’t leave you on your own like your old friends did,’” the rebel commander said. “Honestly, I’m still thinking about it.” Russia has been ramping up its involvement in the warring country with both troops and airstrikes. And, per a BuzzFeed News report, the move by Russia demonstrates that “as it works to muscle the U.S. out of Syria, Russia isn’t just bombing the U.S.’s current and former rebel allies—it’s also working to co-opt them, launching a shadowy campaign that seeks to highlight U.S. weakness in Syria.”