Salim Idris, top Western-Backed rebel leadership in Syria flew to Qatar

Islamist fighters ran the top Western-backed rebel commander in Syria out of his headquarters, and he fled the country, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Wall Street Journal said that “The Islamists also took over key warehouses holding U.S. military gear for moderate fighters in northern Syria over the weekend. The takeover and flight of Gen. Salim Idris of the so-called “Free Army” shocked the U.S., which along with Britain immediately froze delivery of nonlethal military aid to rebels in northern Syria.”

Gen. Idris flew to the Qatari capital of Doha on Sunday after fleeing to Turkey, U.S. officials said Wednesday. “He fled as a result of the Islamic Front taking over his headquarters,” a senior U.S. official said.