A journalist who was kidnapped in Syria says the groups the US armed were never moderate, undercutting years of official messaging about who Washington backed.

• Fighters from the first Free Syrian Army faction to receive US weapons said plainly they were not moderates and wanted Sharia rule.
• US-supplied weapons and vehicles were routinely seized by al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate, soon after delivery.
• A kidnapping victim was moved in a brand-new American pickup truck, a direct trace of US aid ending up with captors.
• The "moderate rebel" label is described as an American fabrication meant to make the arming program politically palatable.
• A second thread: anti-Islam messaging that lumps all Muslims in with armed factions, used to deflect from criticism of Israel.

Outlook: As Syria's post-war order takes shape, scrutiny of who the US armed and what became of those weapons is likely to keep growing.