Todenhöfer changes statement about location of alleged Nusra interview

This is getting pretty laughable, surprising anyone would believe in the viability of the interview in the first place. Content aside, it appears to be located in regime held territory, he appears to be escorted by regime soldiers, and he talks to a barely disguised figure with a little adherence to religious prohibitions.

Moving on to the actual statements. It would be one thing to claim that JFS has received support from the gulf states or turkey, or that the US has implicitly aided them through supplying FSA groups that have participated in JAF offensives. Instead the interviewee seems to rip his statements almost completely out of Russian or Syrian state television's narrative. For a seemingly non-disgruntled JFS member to make these insinuations, which if true would discredit the organization entirely, is beyond absurd. It would be one thing if this was a defector, but for an active (and easily identifiable) commander to completely undermine the legitimacy or his own organization either speaks to complete incompetence or falsification.

Going into each claim individually further challenges the content. As most people know, this forum has documented the use of TOWs extensively. To claim the US is directly supplying JFS with TOWs contradicts all prior evidence. Indeed, there have only been several documented cases of JFS or al-Qaeda affiliates using TOWs, all of which can be traced to munitions captured (ironically enough) from US-backed rebels. For an organization which posts videos of nearly every engagement (including past TOW usage), it would be highly unlikely that such as distinct weapon would go unnoticed if delivered directly by the US, as claimed by the interviewee. Further, if us specops and representatives have been documented with actual US backed forces on several occasions, how have they managed to go undetected within JFS? Why is it that even within "moderate" groups US operators have been exposed, while in an extremist group like JFS they've managed to go undetected until now. Aside from the fact that the interviewee doesnt reconcile the contradictory fact that the US would be both cooperating with, and targeting JFS's senior leadership.

The claims rely solely on the credibility of Todenhofer. Even regime supporters who have followed this conflict for a while have to question the idea that Israeli agents would be embedded with JFS, and that a commander would boast of these connections. The interviewee is voicing the most extreme claims leveled against the US. For the anti-US crew this interview is too good to be true.

/r/syriancivilwar Thread Link - twitter.com