After U.S.
UK Stops Funding Terrorists Amid Syria Victory
DAMASCUS (Press TV) – After the U.S., the UK is to stop funding terrorists in Syria amid a growing government push to retake the last terrorist-held areas in the Arab country.
"As the situation on the ground in some regions has become increasingly difficult, we have reduced support for some of our non-humanitarian programming," a UK government spokeswoman said, quoted by Reuters.
The British daily The Guardian reported Monday that the funding for the so-called Free Syria Police (FSP) is set to come to an end in September. The force was set up after 2011, when foreign-backed militancy started ravaging Syria.
Syria, which has recently liberated the southern provinces of Dara’a, Sweida, and Quneitra, is turning its focus to the last stronghold of terrorists in the northwestern Idlib Province.
The Guardian said Britain's decision to end support for terrorists shows the country "has accepted that the Syrian opposition, which it has backed since the early days of the civil war in 2012 to 2013, is facing imminent defeat.”
The decision came after a BBC Panorama investigation broadcast last December revealed that the British cash used to form a "police force" in militant-held areas in Syria was being diverted to extremist groups.
According to the report, "officers" from the force had been caught cooperating with terrorist groups.
The program said "police officers" in Idlib had to be approved by al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s Syria offshoot, and that similar terrorists in the neighboring Aleppo Province had been forced to hand over cash to Nour al-Din al-Zinki, another terrorist group.
Earlier this year, the U.S. told the so-called Free Syrian Army militant group that they could no longer rely on Washington's support which had been trickling since 2011 as the army launched an operation which resulted in the liberation of the southern provinces.
On Friday, it was reported that Washington had also cut its $230 million funding for the so-called Syria stabilization projects, citing increased contributions from the Saudi Arabian regime and other allies.
"As the situation on the ground in some regions has become increasingly difficult, we have reduced support for some of our non-humanitarian programming," a UK government spokeswoman said, quoted by Reuters.
The British daily The Guardian reported Monday that the funding for the so-called Free Syria Police (FSP) is set to come to an end in September. The force was set up after 2011, when foreign-backed militancy started ravaging Syria.
Syria, which has recently liberated the southern provinces of Dara’a, Sweida, and Quneitra, is turning its focus to the last stronghold of terrorists in the northwestern Idlib Province.
The Guardian said Britain's decision to end support for terrorists shows the country "has accepted that the Syrian opposition, which it has backed since the early days of the civil war in 2012 to 2013, is facing imminent defeat.”
The decision came after a BBC Panorama investigation broadcast last December revealed that the British cash used to form a "police force" in militant-held areas in Syria was being diverted to extremist groups.
According to the report, "officers" from the force had been caught cooperating with terrorist groups.
The program said "police officers" in Idlib had to be approved by al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s Syria offshoot, and that similar terrorists in the neighboring Aleppo Province had been forced to hand over cash to Nour al-Din al-Zinki, another terrorist group.
Earlier this year, the U.S. told the so-called Free Syrian Army militant group that they could no longer rely on Washington's support which had been trickling since 2011 as the army launched an operation which resulted in the liberation of the southern provinces.
On Friday, it was reported that Washington had also cut its $230 million funding for the so-called Syria stabilization projects, citing increased contributions from the Saudi Arabian regime and other allies.