THE US froze an aid package worth $200 million back in March and it has been reported that included significant funds for the White Helmets. They claimed to be a Syria-based group of volunteer first-responders who act as emergency medical service providers for people injured during air strikes. They were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. But there is more to the supposed funding freeze and the White Helmets that is being reported in the west.
However, there are extensive links to the White Helmets and Al-Nusra Front, the official Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda.
The civilians in now Syrian Arab Army liberated areas, state that the White Helmets and their rebel allies brought nothing but death, poverty, suffering, destruction and misery.
Funding freeze?
This is where the detail is important because the US State Department said that the aid package was not cancelled but under review, but on the 19th April a spokesperson reassured the White Helmets that their wages would still be paid whilst the Syria stabilisation program was under review, which is the aid package that was stopped back in March. The supposed funding freeze is clearly a lie and there is more to the action taken by the US.
Within the statement the US state that despite the ongoing review, “as far as I am aware all of their work still continues, people’s bills are still being paid […] as far as I know (all U.S. contributions) are still in play”. This underlines that the funding isn’t really a freeze at all but a delay in resources and that the White Helmets can continue on with their work.
