Aid packages containing food and medical supplies are being sent to help displaced Syrian civilians. They are funded by the U.S., Europe and the United Nations. However, not all the supplies are reaching these intended recipients.
According to the Daily Beast:
Many aid workers are uncomfortable with what’s happening. “A few months ago we delivered a mobile clinic for a USAID-funded NGO [non-government organization],” says one, who declined to be named. “A few of us debated the rights and wrongs of this. The clinic was earmarked for the treatment of civilians, but we all know that wounded ISIS fighters could easily be treated as well.”Raqqa happens to be the stronghold city of the Islamic State. However, before an aid convoy can deliver its goods to a place like Raqaa, it must pay a fee to ISIS.
A senior State Department official with detailed knowledge of current aid programs confirmed to The Daily Beast that U.S. government funded relief is still going into Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zor. He declined to estimate the quantity. But an aid coordinator, when asked, responded: “A lot.”
This isn’t the first time U.S. aid has found itself in the hands of Islamic militants. The Times of Israel reported on how Hamas was stealing humanitarian aid from Palestinians in Gaza. In addition, Somalian terror group Al-Shabaab hijacked aid meant for Somalis.
Not surprisingly, ISIS also uses the stolen goods as an effective tool to build more loyalty and a larger following.
While humanitarian aid is a delicate issue, it’s tough to argue that knowingly helping ISIS sustain its brutal reign is in the best interest of the United States. After all, this is a group that has butchered two U.S. citizens and has called for their supporters to “cut the heads off” Americans and our allies.
Clearly, ISIS is an enemy of the United States. And giving them some of the things they need to maintain their 7th-century-style empire is only going to add to the timetable it takes to crush the terrorist regime.
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