Washington ‘withdrawing support’ for northwest Syria
Officials say the military will be moved to other areas where it has more control
The Trump administration will withdraw help from northwest Syria dominated by Islamist factions and focus recovery efforts on areas where US-led forces have retaken territory from Islamic State in the northeast, US officials with knowledge of the decision said on Friday.
CBS, which first reported the story, said tens of millions of dollars will be cut from previous US-backed efforts in the northwest, including projects for “countering violent extremism, supporting independent society and independent media, strengthening education, and advocating for community policing”.
US officials said humanitarian help would not be affected in the northwest around Idlib province, which is the largest chunk of Syrian territory held by insurgent factions, including a former al-Qaeda affiliate that received funding and weapons from the West.
“US help for programmes in northwest Syria are being freed up to provide potential increased support for priorities in northeast Syria,” a State Department official said.
A second official said the administration believed it wanted to move the help to areas where the US had more control.