‘Netherlands Provides Support for Terrorists in Syria’
DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – The Dutch government has come under fire after a report revealed it has been providing logistic support for a Syrian "opposition” group labeled as a terrorist organization by Dutch prosecutors.
The news report, aired by the national public broadcaster, said Amsterdam had given "non-lethal assistance” (NLA) to 22 armed opposition groups, including the Jabhat al-Shamiya terrorist organization, fighting against the Syrian army.
The Dutch government has reportedly provided pick-up trucks, uniforms and other equipment for the terrorist group last year, the report added.
This caused a storm of protest from Dutch parliamentarians, who strongly protested against the country’s government and asked for its explanation.
Dutch lawmaker Sjoerd Sjoerdsma also described the news report as "shocking”, and asked, "How did this happen, despite all the warnings by lawmakers?"
The revelations on Monday come days after Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok announced the government was cutting all support to what it called "moderate" opposition groups in Syria.
Western governments have in recent years tried to justify their support for terrorists operating in Syria by labeling them as moderate opposition working to topple the government of Bashar al-Assad.
According to Assad, the U.S. tried to promote the notion of the so-called moderate opposition in Syria. However, "they haven’t been able to market this lie because the facts on the ground proved the opposite, that all those they support are extremists,” who belong to Daesh, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, with the same extremist and terrorist ideology.
Last year, even the U.S. administration ended a clandestine American program to provide arms and supplies to those "moderate” opposition groups after it was revealed they were indeed terrorists aiming to establish their "caliphate” in Syria.
The news report, aired by the national public broadcaster, said Amsterdam had given "non-lethal assistance” (NLA) to 22 armed opposition groups, including the Jabhat al-Shamiya terrorist organization, fighting against the Syrian army.
The Dutch government has reportedly provided pick-up trucks, uniforms and other equipment for the terrorist group last year, the report added.
This caused a storm of protest from Dutch parliamentarians, who strongly protested against the country’s government and asked for its explanation.
Dutch lawmaker Sjoerd Sjoerdsma also described the news report as "shocking”, and asked, "How did this happen, despite all the warnings by lawmakers?"
The revelations on Monday come days after Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok announced the government was cutting all support to what it called "moderate" opposition groups in Syria.
Western governments have in recent years tried to justify their support for terrorists operating in Syria by labeling them as moderate opposition working to topple the government of Bashar al-Assad.
According to Assad, the U.S. tried to promote the notion of the so-called moderate opposition in Syria. However, "they haven’t been able to market this lie because the facts on the ground proved the opposite, that all those they support are extremists,” who belong to Daesh, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, with the same extremist and terrorist ideology.
Last year, even the U.S. administration ended a clandestine American program to provide arms and supplies to those "moderate” opposition groups after it was revealed they were indeed terrorists aiming to establish their "caliphate” in Syria.