The US has insisted that they intend to keep the al-Tanf military base
in Syria, along the Jordan and Iraq border. The US has also kept
Syrian-backed forces out of the area, which is likely why some displaced
tribes believed setting up shop in the area, at Rukban Camp, was a good
idea.
In reality, they’re stuck in a remote desert with way too many people and way too little access to aid. To make matters worse, tribal representatives say that the recent aid convoy from the UN and Red Crescent was “cut short” by aggression.
And despite requests for the US to do something, there is no indication
that they intend to. After all, the local rebel force are “Vetted Syrian
Opposition” forces, endorsed by the US, and they’re a problem for the
aid deliveries more than a help.
The problem feeding these people near the US base is leading the UN to
focus on trying to relocate them back home to government-controlled
Syria. The rebels don’t want that, however, because it sounds a bit too
much like civilians fleeing rebel territory to seek government
protection. There is also talk of preventing the buses that are coming
to transport people from taking them home.
Syrian Tribes Say US-Backed Rebels Attacked Aid Convoy
UN struggling to get aid to Rukban Camp
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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