WASHINGTON: The Pentagon on Friday admitted that a group of US-trained Syrian rebels had handed over most of their weapons, ammunition and equipment to Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the country, the Al-Nusra Front, purportedly in exchange for safe passage.

The startling acknowledgement contrasted with earlier Pentagon denials of reports that some fighters had either defected or handed over gear.

“Unfortunately, we learned late today that the NSF (New Syrian Forces) unit now says it did in fact provide six pickup trucks and their ammunition to Al-Nusra Front,” Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said.

Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for Central Command (CENTCOM), which is overseeing efforts against the self-styled Islamic State (IS), said the fighters had handed over the gear in exchange for safe passage in the Al-Nusra occupied area.

“If accurate, the report of NSF members providing equipment and weapons to Al-Nusra Front is very concerning and a violation of Syria train-and-equip program guidelines,” Ryder said.

“We are using all means at our disposal to look into what exactly happened and determine the appropriate response,” Ryder said.

A defense official told AFP that according to the rebels, there had not been any defections, but he stressed: “We only know what they have told us.“

Another embarrassing setback

The development is another embarrassing setback for the US effort to “train and equip” moderate Syrian rebels to fight IS jihadists in Syria.

The $500-million program originally aimed to ready around 5,400 vetted fighters a year for three years but problems finding suitable candidates have seen negligible numbers getting trained.

The first graduates, who made up a group of 54 fighters, were attacked by Al-Nusra in July and the Pentagon isn't sure what happened to them all. At least one was killed.

The second group, consisting of about 70 rebels, were sent back to Syria last weekend and reports began circulating on Twitter soon after that they had either defected or handed over equipment.

Last week, before the insertion of the new fighters, the US general overseeing efforts against IS drew disbelief from senior lawmakers when he told them only “four or five” US-trained rebels were on the ground fighting in Syria.

Unwilling to commit US ground troops in the region, the Obama administration in January launched the train-and-equip mission for Syrian opposition fighters as part of a broader push to work with locals there and in Iraq.

The program has faltered, with many would-be fighters failing the strict screening process. The troops are being trained as part of the US-led fight against Islamic State in the region.