Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
Mar 13, 2015, Telesur
The United States government announced Friday it will provide the Syrian opposition with US$70 million in “non-lethal” assistance.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the assistance will only be delivered to certified rebel groups.
“Today, I can announce a modest step forward that the Administration is working with Congress to provide nearly $70 million in new foreign assistance to continue our full range of support to the moderate Syrian opposition,” said Antony J. Blinken, deputy secretary of state, in a statement.
However, with the rapidly evolving events in the Syrian frontlines, the task of certifying rebel groups as moderate has proven highly difficult. Many so-called moderate rebels have subsequently joined the Islamic State group or the al-Qaida allied al-Nusrah Front.
The U.S government clarified once again that their support for the rebels is consistent with the U.S. long-term objectives.
“As we have long said, Assad must go and be replaced through a negotiated political transition that is representative of the Syrian people,” said a White House spokesperson, referring to Washington’s commitment to oust the Syrian president.
As media investigations have revealed, classified U.S. documents and independent investigations show aid supplied to the rebel groups has helped strengthen the Islamic State group and Al-Nusrah, which are now dominating the Syrian battlefield.
So far, U.S. support to the Syrian opposition accounts for nearly US$400 million since 2011.
