US cancels $200 million funding commitment for Syria stabilization project
The Trump administration has notified Congress of the cancellation of a $200 million project for programs to help restore stability in Syria.
 |
| Scenes of devastation in Syria. (Photo: News Junkie Post) |
This is a step by the US government to gradually withdraw its involvement in conflicts.
Much of the money, pledged by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in February, was held up for review when he was removed from office in March. A small portion was released in June 2018.
The above reduction will be offset by up to 300 million USD provided by partner countries in the anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition, of which Saudi Arabia has pledged 100 million USD.
The US State Department immediately welcomed Saudi Arabia’s contribution to help rebuild cities devastated by ISIS like Raqqa. The contributions from partner countries come at the request of President Trump to share the burden of restoring stability in Syria and protecting gains made in the fight against ISIS.
The withdrawal of US funding is a sign that Washington is gradually calculating the end of its involvement and reducing its commitment to Syria. In May, the US State Department announced that it would stop providing funding for stabilization programs in northwestern Syria after IS had been almost completely eliminated from the area.
