US to provide $70 million of assistance to Syrian opposition

WASHINGTON DC-- The United States aims to provide nearly $70 million of additional non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition, Deputy Secretary of State said on Friday.

“The U.S. Department of State is working with Congress to provide nearly $70 million in new non-lethal assistance,” Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken said at an event marking the fourth year of the Syrian war.

The event was attended by members of the Syrian opposition and Syrian-American participants, according to a statement released by State Department.

Since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the US has provided more than $300 million to Syrian opposition groups and the new proposed amount will increase total assistance to nearly $400 million.

The new aid package will be used to governance, improving operational capabilities of the opposition, cyber security training, capacity building and training journalists and activists as well as recording human rights violations in Syria.