The U.S. on Wednesday reiterated its willingness to meet with representatives of the Islamic Front, while a high-profile source in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) complained a lack of support made the group powerless in the face of ever-strengthening extremist movements.
The Islamic Front now controls most of the north of Syria.
The FSA source told ash-Sharq al-Awsat that military support has totally stopped for months and that staff are now obliged to buy weapons on the black market.
The source said they had sent agents to buy weapons and ammunition from inside Syria after support from abroad had ceased. The source blamed some allies, without naming them, for “letting the Free Syrian Army down, while the allies of other opposition organizations are still supporting them.”
The source warned about the decrease in the FSA’s power against the growth in the strength of the Islamic Front and other extremist organizations, saying it was “disappointing”.
He said the decision to destroy the FSA, which is already under attack by the regime forces and its allies from Hezbollah, Iran and others, meant the FSA now finds itself in confrontation with its own allies, who are supposed to share the same goal.
Syrian opposition sources also confirmed that there are keen American efforts underway to hold a high-level meeting between the American ambassador in Damascus, Robert Ford and representatives from the Islamic Front. The sources said that there are indirect communications which may lead to some results. The same sources pointed that the meeting has been delayed because the Front is afraid of accusations from other extreme oppositionists for cooperating with the west.
Translated and edited by the Syrian Observer
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