Today the following story has been circulating on the Russian web, that two Western journalists that were kidnapped and tortured say that the same person is now a "moderate rebel" in the service of the US. So either they just couldn't let that one go, after being tortured and all. Or something else is going on.
Hakim Jamal, aka Abdel Hakim al-Yaseen, is our new ally against ISIS in Syria
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/the-times/hakim-jamal-aka-abdel-hakim-alyaseen-is-our-new-ally-against-isis-in-syria/news-story/01dfc32b9d5c367ba8e9e92aa0d766bc
[...]In May 2014 I was kidnapped along with Jack Hill, a Times photographer, and two Syrian staff while driving between the Syrian town of Tal Rafat and the Turkish border after a week inside Aleppo. Though aware that the area around Tal Rafat was renowned for its kidnap threat, at first we had no idea that Hakim, whom we had known for two years and who had hosted us the evening before, was behind our abduction. But then, during a desperate and violent escape we found ourselves pursued by a gang of kidnappers led by the man whom only hours before we had assumed to be our friend: Hakim Anza.
Though our Syrian staff escaped, Jack and I were recaptured and beaten before I was shot twice in punishment. At the time he had boasted that he wanted us as kidnap bounty to fund the buying of anti-aircraft weapons.
His file is held by at least three separate intelligence agencies, including MIT, of Turkey, and MI6. His extremist links are well documented. Two of his brothers joined the al-Qaeda affiliate the Nusra Front. One of them spoke on record about his loyalty to al-Qaeda to The Times. Meanwhile The New York Times ran a story about a war crime committed by Hakim Anza in 2012.
Hakim Anza’s activities were brought to the attention of John Kerry, the US secretary of state, who spoke publicly of his concern for our ordeal. “We are keeping up a very focused effort to try to secure their release,” he said.
Last month, however, video surfaced of Hakim Anza proving that he was not only free, but was also serving in a CIA-vetted Syrian rebel group, First Regiment (al-Fawj al-Awwal), which was receiving US weaponry, including Tow missiles, as well as air strikes in support of their operations. In between times he appears to be based in southern Turkey, where he takes orders from the Hawar Kilis Operations room.
Four US hostages were murdered in Syria in 2014. Two British hostages were also beheaded there. The memories of Britain and America must be short, for on Friday sources in the Free Syrian Army and US confirmed Hakim Anza’s membership of the CIA-backed group, in which he is sub-commander.
Centom, the US Central Command, did not respond to Times requests over three days this week to explain how such a well-known hostage taker with family connections to extremists could have passed US vetting procedures.[...]
