Islamists in Syria seize US ammunition

The Obama administration has suspended aid to Syrian rebels following the seizure of a warehouse by Islamists, The Washington Post reports.

A new alliance of Islamic groups called the Islamic Front took control of warehouses in northern Syria used to store ammunition, vehicles and other supplies for the Western-backed Supreme Military Council on Friday, the Post reports.

As a result, the administration has suspended most of its $16.9 million aid program, although food deliveries continue in the south.

The status or location of the American aid, which runs the gamut from food and medical supplies to night-vision goggles and communication equipment, is still unknown, a senior U.S. official told the Post.

The news comes as Islamist groups and Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime have both been making gains in the almost three-year civil war, largely to the detriment of the more moderate opposition.

The Islamic Front does not include either of Syria’s two al Qaeda affiliates but aims to establish an Islamic state in Syria.

Opposition leaders are expected to take part in scheduled peace talks with representatives from the Assad government in Geneva in January, led by U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

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