The White House is withdrawing the support from northwest Syria as it plans to organize U.S. troops for a swift withdrawal from the country once the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is defeated.
According to CBS News, the U.S. will stop providing tens of millions of dollars to stabilize areas of northwest Syria that have been cleared of ISIS control, a decision made following an interagency process in recent weeks. The funding supported efforts to counter violent extremism, strengthen independent society and advance education in the region, among other things, CBS wrote.
The funding cutoff in northwest Syria makes it the first matter from which the U.S. is officially disengaging from, though Washington will still provide humanitarian aid.
“$200 million of stabilization assistance for Syria is currently under review at the request of the president,” a State Department official told CBS News. “Distinct from that amount, U.S. assistance for programs in northwest Syria is being freed up to provide potential increased support for priorities in northeast Syria, as will be determined by the outcome of the ongoing assistance review, including the D-ISIS campaign and stabilization efforts.”
President Donald Trump ordered a review of U.S. assistance to Syria, and officials determined that the aid to the northwestern part of Syria would have little impact on the long-term future of the country.
In March, Trump said that the U.S. would withdraw from Syria “very soon.” However, his top national security advisers warned against pulling out of the country too quickly, because of concerns that ISIS could return in areas where militants had previously been eliminated. Ninety-five percent of the territory that was once held by ISIS is now freed but is holding on fiercely to its remaining pockets of land. Now, the bigger part of Syria is under the control of the Syrian government, although rebel groups have maintained enclaves in the country, as have terrorist groups like al Qaeda and al Nusra.
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