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US to send $765 million in additional humanitarian aid to Syria
The US State Department on Wednesday (Sep 14) announced it was sending $756 million in new humanitarian aid to Syria, where need remains “dire” after more than a decade of war.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement, the funds, which are in addition to a tranche of $808 million announced earlier this year, will go to “continue our unwavering support for the Syrian people.”
He added that the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, had made the announcement earlier in the day at a UN Security Council meeting on Syria.
Blinken stressed the importance of an international agreement allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid across the border, calling it a “lifeline” for millions of Syrians.
Blinken said in the statement: “Cross-border deliveries ensure that life-saving aid including food, medicine, and other relief supplies reach people throughout northwest Syria, who rely on this aid to survive.”
In July, the Council adopted a resolution extending a system for cross-border aid to Syria by six months, the duration demanded by Russia. Other members had sought a full year.
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The aid delivery system across Turkey’s border into rebel-held Syria — in place since 2014 — is the only way UN assistance can reach civilians without navigating areas controlled by Syrian government forces.
In total, Washington says it has supplied about $15.7 billion in humanitarian aid for Syria since the war began 11 years ago.
Source: g7tamil
