Recommended Article: "America Is On Our Side": Al-Nusra Commander Tells German Press US Is Arming Jihadists
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“No, the missiles were given to us directly. The Americans are on our side.”
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Summary
In a striking interview with German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer published on 26 September the German press including the prominent newspaper Focus, a militant jihadist commander said that US weapons are being delivered to Jabhat Al-Nusra by governments that Washington supports, adding that American instructors were in Syria to teach how to use the new equipment.
In the full interview, the commander notes that “The fight is difficult. The regime is strong and gets support from Russia,” the jihadist explained. Al Ezz said that Jabhat Al-Nusra “won battles thanks to TOW rockets from America. Due to these rockets, we reached a balance with the regime. Our tanks came from Libya via Turkey, joined by the [BM-21] multiple rocket launchers,” he said.
He also said that when Jabhat Al-Nusra was “besieged, we had officers from Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel and America here… Experts in the use of satellites, rockets, reconnaissance and thermal security cameras.” Another dramatic admission: when Todenhöfer asked specifically if the US instructors were present among the jihadists’ ranks and Al Ezz replied: “The Americans are on our side.”
He also said that Jabhat Al-Nusra had been paid for achieving specific military goals during the Syrian conflict. “We got 500 million Syrian pounds (around $2.3 million) from Saudi Arabia. The money came from the “governments” of those states, not private individuals, he said.
The idea of a transitional government in Syria is also not supported by Jabhat Al-Nusra, the commander said. “We accept no one from the Assad regime or of the Free Syrian Army, which is described as moderate. Our goal is to overthrow the regime, and establish an Islamic state by the Islamic Sharia,” he said.
Interestingly, the Al-Nusra Front commander also mentioned the UN aid convoy.
Keep in mind that Todenhöfer, the first Western journalist to be granted access to the caliphate, conducted the interview ten days ago, before the attack. The commander said that the militants would not allow UN trucks carrying aid to enter Aleppo if the Syrian Arab Army does not withdraw "as required." "The regime must withdraw from all areas for us to let the trucks in. If a truck drives in anyway, we will arrest the driver," he detailed.
Finally, in case there is still any confusion, the commander openly confirmed that Jabhat Al-Nusra “are part of Al Qaeda."