Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) names and (b) political composition are of all groups fighting in Idlib against the Assad regime in Syria; what recent assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of (i) Islamists and (ii) democratic pluralists among those groups; and whether the estimated 70,000 moderate rebel fighters referred to in the oral contribution of the former Prime Minister of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1491, have been located in Syria since that date.  [20368]

[Due for Answer on 4 March.]

ANSWER

The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa (James Cleverly):  Given the complex and evolving situation on the ground in Syria, it is difficult to assess the political composition, names, and numbers of all groups believed to be fighting in Idlib against the Assad regime or to determine where the moderate fighters referred to by the then Prime Minister in 2015 are now located.