Once CIA-backed, funded terrorist group now comes under US sanctions

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Responsible Statecraft
22 Aug 2023 18:34
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In a piece published by Responsible Statecraft, Matthew Petti, a 2022-2023 Fulbright fellow and a journalist, highlights that the now-US-sanctioned Hamza Division was in fact backed and funded by the United States.

US occupation forces seen during an exercise in northeastern Syria (AP)

The Biden administration has enacted sanctions on the Hamza Division, a Syrian terrorist group formerly backed by the US, as well as the Suleiman Shah Brigade, a Turkish-supported militia. These sanctions are in response to accusations of human rights violations, including crimes like rape, torture, pillaging, and kidnapping committed in the Kurdish-majority region of Afrin, Syria. The Hamza Division, which was initially trained and financially supported by the US, now fights alongside the Turkish army against Kurds.

That's the take of Matthew Petti, a 2022-2023 Fulbright fellow and a journalist, who further highlighted that this move comes as a surprising shift, given that these groups have had a history of collaboration with the US in the past.

In the space of a decade, Washington has gone from training the Hamza Division to blacklisting it, which constitutes a mixed message to US ally, Turkey.

Petti acknowledged this in his piece published by Responsible Statecraft, whereby the Biden administration's actions have raised questions about its stance toward its key NATO ally.

Moreover, he went on to say that the US military had once provided training and $8.8 million in cash to the Hamza Division.

However, US support for the armed militias in Syria dried up during the Trump administration, turning the militants from trusted US partners to “thugs, bandits and pirates” in the eyes of US officials, he further added.

In Petti's view, the Turkish-backed terrorist groups have reportedly engaged in violent activities against Kurdish civilians, extorting them, committing sexual abuses, and displacing them from their homes. The occupation of areas by these terrorist groups has prompted criticism and accusations of human rights abuses, as they are reportedly accused of extorting civilians, pillaging property, kidnapping women, and committing sexual abuses, according to Petti.

The gist of the author's argument is that the situation reflects the complex dynamics in Syria and the shifting alliances and priorities of various parties involved, including the US, Turkey, and the Kurdish forces. The Biden administration's choice to sanction these groups raises questions about its evolving foreign policy approach and its relations with Turkey, as well as its stance on addressing human rights abuses.