The Netherlands’ Foreign Affairs Ministry has announced they are shutting down all support for multiple factions within Syria, including the White Helmets organization. The White Helmets were recipients of 12.5 million Euros from the Netherlands.
Styling themselves as a “civil defense” force with no ties to foreign governments, the White Helmets actually receive substantially funding from several Western nations, including the US, Britain, and until now, the Netherlands.
Netherlands officials warned that there is inadequate supervision of the White Helmets, and the lack of transparency on the flow of cash to the group, as well as how it is spent, raises substantial risk that the aid money may fall into the hands of terrorist groups.
The report calling for defunding the group added that they operate in areas ruled by armed groups considered “unaccepted” by the Dutch government, and that it is inevitable they will be in growing contact with such groups.
This presumably means al-Qaeda, as the White Helmets relocated in recent months into Idlib Province, and have set up shop in areas under the control of the al-Qaeda affiliate there.
Also defunded in the same announcement were the Free Syrian Police, primarily for being under the influence of al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as the Levant Front militant group. Though the Levant Front isn’t legally listed as “terrorists,” officials cited concerns about their growing extremism, and the fact that the Netherlands had secretly provided them with weapons under a “non-lethal assistance” program.
This article includes information from a Moon of Alabama article on the same subject.
….”substantial risk that the aid money may fall into hands of terrorist groups”.
Nope. It’s a certainty.
The Netherlands ending, in part, their support for terrorism with this move and withdrawing their air support for the jihadists is a good first step, but meaningless without follow up and commitment to accountability. It just means they got cold feet.
They just figured this out? The White Helmets have been documented in videos beheading children and executing prisoners.
Kinda like the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights with their HQs in London. The White Helmets support the terrorists and their false flag chemical attacks against civilians, in order to get those missiles hitting the legal government forces.
It appears that the Dutch have finally remembered why they were fighting Spain from 1568 until 1648.
White Helmets ALWAYS operated in all Al-Qaeda held areas — and all other areas where Al-Qaeda controlled the flow of money, arms and food. Thus all groups mentioned were Al-Qaeda proxjes, and the pathetic excuse that they are not the worst of the worst in violence — takes breath away fir sheer hypocricy and rank stupidity. Al-Qaeda just changed names several times, to allow Western press to avoid association with their previous attrocities. Such is the case with Levant group.
So, all Western governments are funnelling large sums of money into “civil defence”, while the money is used for arms, transport, telecom, fuel and salaries of various headchoppers. This move means nothing. All that will happen is the shifting of money to those now fighting against Syria liberating itself from terrorists. It is a sad spectacle, with US protecying the last remaining ISIS picket at Al-Tanf, keeping them fed supplied within a large, muserable refugee camp — not alliwed ti be visited by ANY humanitarian agency. Inly people who escaped from there to government territory know what us going on there.
Aleppo was equally fevereshly defended by the entire Western media, and when Al-Qaeda was forced to withdraw — the tears shed by the Western media were farsical. Yet, whoever the deep state is, their charade goes on. More ridiculous by the day — but they do not care. As far as they are concerned, the deep state controls pretty much the entire Western universe, and what people think is of no jnterest.
I believe New Zealand has been financially supporting White Helmets as well, although our government and our media has never let on. I will question our minister of Foreign Affairs, the Rt Hon Mr Winston Peters on this and see what he has to say on this.
Gee, you can actually get an answer from a high government officials in NZ? Here in the USA such people treat the populace with utter contempt. Lie when they bother to answer, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.
The majority of the American people have been opposed to the endless wars for nearly a decade now…after being lied into the wars in the first place. Doesn’t matter. The political elites want more war, so they get it.
Trump is the latest liar in chief.
Yes They do reply, but you don’t get an answer. Otherwise it’s the same over here. Good to hear that most Americans are opposed to war. Fighting for peace is more difficult and takes courage.