Trump approves US$4.5 mil aid to Syria’s White Helmets
President’s humanitarian gesture comes amid criticism over his decision to withdraw US troops from Kurdish areas.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has authorised US$4.5 million in aid for Syria’s White Helmets group, famed for rescuing wounded civilians from the frontlines in the civil war, the White House said yesterday.
Trump ordered the funds for what is formally known as the Syria Civil Defense group “to continue United States support for the organisation’s important and highly valued work in the country,” spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
The White Helmets have received global recognition for dashing into heavy bombing to pull victims from the rubble and get them to hospitals, which themselves have frequently been bombed or shelled.
The Syrian military, which is backed by Russia, has repeatedly targeted White Helmets activists, saying they are not independent but support anti-government insurgents.
Trump’s humanitarian gesture came amid a firestorm of criticism at home and abroad over his abrupt decision to withdraw a small but politically significant contingent of US troops from Kurdish areas near Syria’s border with Turkey.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
The withdrawal effectively opened the door for Turkey to launch a cross-border operation against the Kurds. Turkey sees them as a security threat but until now they had been a crucial ally of the US troops in fighting jihadist militants with the Islamic State movement.