Those “moderate elements” switched back to supporting the government, when the foreign AQ fighters started murdering Christians, and burning down churches.
The brutality of the Muzzie foreign fighters is why the tide turned against the rebels, not chemical attacks.
“foreign AQ fighters”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front is conducting war on the Assad regime with a band of about 6,000 fighters established by jihadists in January 2012. It wants Mr. Assad to be replaced by a Sunni Islamic state.
Al Nusra knows how to move men and arms inside Syria to the point where, analysts say, they have become the most deadly force among a hodgepodge of opposition groups.
[snip]
The Congressional Research Service reported in June: “Many analysts fear that Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQ-I) also has been active in the Syrian civil war, supporting and training Sunni extremist groups in Syria.”
Asked to assess Al Nusra in its second year, a U.S. official said: “The Nusra Front is clearly playing an important role in the opposition because the group’s roughly 6,000 fighters are disciplined, well-armed and capable. They’ve also partnered effectively with other rebel brigades. However, Nusra is still just one part of a complex, multipronged opposition that doesn’t have one dominant force.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/19/al-qaeda-rat-line-from-syria-to-iraq-turns-back-ag/?page=all
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3062022/posts