Alwaght- The US continues supporting Saudi-backed Ahrar al-Sham terrorist group that has committed heinous crimes against Syrian civilians.


�Ahrar al-Sham is not a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. It is part of this vetted group of opposition forces that are part of the HNC [High Negotiating Committee]. That was process mostly led by Saudi Arabia, but with the consent of other members of ISSG, and that includes Russia,� State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday.


Ahrar al-Sham, one of the oldest and largest terrorist groups operating in Syria since 2011, is mostly active in the country's northwestern part. The group is allied with al-Nusra Front, an offshoot of al-Qaeda terror network in Syria.


The terror group that belongs to the Saudi- HNC is considered a party to the Syrian ceasefire, negotiated by Russia and the US.


On May 13, however, Al-Sham fighters raided the village of Al-Zara, killing Dozens and injuring many more during the bloody terrorism similar to a systemized genocide perpetrated against civilians.


Three days earlier, White House blocked a Russian proposal at the UN to delegitimize Ahrar ash-Sham and another group called Jaysh al-Islam, over their regular violations of the ceasefire. Britain, France and Ukraine sided with the US.


Jaysh al-Islam is a of mix of over 55 armed factions, formed after outbreak of Syrian crisis. It started work under title Saraya al-Islam as a military brigade aiming at fighting the Syrian government.


Present in many Syrian regions, Jaysh al-Islam took part in many terror operations in a variety of Syrian cities. It never hid its partnership with al-Nusra Front. Its former Commander-in-Chief Zahran Alloush said that �al-Nusra Front is a fighting faction in Syria with which we worked in an array of battles and we observed their practice, jihad and diligence, and we hail al-Nusra Front and do not consider them Khawarij (Outsider from religion).


Asked to comment on a report that Labib al Nahhas, a senior official of Ahrar Al-Sham, visited Washington in December 2015, Toner cited �privacy concerns� on Monday and said he would follow up.


�"I do know this individual certainly did not have any meetings that I�m aware of at the State Department,� he said on Tuesday. �I can�t speak to whether we were aware or not aware of his visit or entry into the country. I just don�t have that information.�


While condemning the atrocities in Zara, Toner attempted to diminish them by saying, �frankly, we have seen similar attacks on the part of the regime,� referring to the government in Damascus the US wants to see overthrown by the rebels.


"How many villages do they have to massacre before they become bad guys?� one reporter asked, but received no response. Neither did the reporter who asked what qualified Ahrar Al-Sham as �moderates,� when their ideology was no different from ISIS or Al-Nusra Front.


�"I don�t have the criteria, other than the fact that they were believed to be a part of the viable Syrian opposition, and that they exhibited a desire to play a positive, constructive role to resolving the conflict,� Toner said.


Asked whether the US would pressure the group to abide by the ceasefire, Toner was noncommittal.


"We�re not giving them a yellow card,� he said


By Alwaght