US military cuts ties with Syrian rebel group

The Pentagon is cutting ties with a group of Syrian opposition fighters after they started targeting regime forces instead of the Islamic State group, officials said Thursday.
The group, known as Shuhada Al-Qaryatayn, had been receiving training and weapons from US-led coalition forces in southern Syria.
They "unilaterally, without US or coalition permission or coordination," conducted patrols outside a specified zone and engaged in "activities not focused on fighting ISIS," coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon.
The group have been "important partners in the fight against ISIS in southern Syria. However, the coalition will no longer support their operations," Dillon added.
Shuhada Al-Qaryatayn are based in the area around Al-Tanf, where the coalition operates a training garrison near the border crossing with Jordan.
Dillon said the coalition would attempt to retrieve the military equipment that had been provided to the group.
He did not say how many fighters were in the group