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US funding freeze impacts Syrian chemical weapons clean-up

Jan 29, 2025, 11:42am EST
security
Free Syrian Army medical group trains people on how to cope with chemical weapon attacks in Aleppo December 25, 2013.
Free Syrian Army medics train on how to respond to chemical weapons attacks in Syria, 2013. Ammar Abdullah/Reuters
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US President Donald Trump’s order to freeze foreign aid has impacted the effort to recover chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria left by the fallen Assad regime. The White Helmets — a Syrian organization internationally recognized for its humanitarian work — warned that the aid halt is degrading their capacity to address chemical threats in the country.

“The suspension of US government funding has unfortunately affected critical areas of our work, including our efforts related to chemical weapons recovery and investigation,” the organization’s deputy general manager, Farouq Habib, told Semafor.

“This not only threatens justice for the victims but also undermines global security, as the unchecked proliferation of such weapons poses a threat far beyond Syria’s borders.”

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Also affected are the White Helmets’ work to clear unexploded ordnance, provide emergency medical services, and secure essential infrastructure, including water. In the last decade, there have been more than 400,000 incidents involving unexploded ordnance in Syria with half ending in child casualties, according to UN estimates.

Middle East expert Charles Lister said the withdrawal of US support represented “catastrophic timing,” especially as the country’s new government attempts to rebuild following Syria’s 13-year-long civil war.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Syria’s new de facto leaders and former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has called for international assistance to dismantle Assad’s secret chemical weapons program.

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It’s not clear how many chemical weapons remain in Syria, but an international watchdog believes that at least 360 tons of mustard gas and five tons of chemical precursors for the nerve agent sarin — one of the most lethal substances ever created — went missing during a 2013-2014 process to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. US officials also suspect the ousted Assad regime may have made more weapons since that time that are still unaccounted for.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have said they will send a team of experts to assess what needs to be done when the security situation stabilizes.

While the Trump administration reviews aid spending, the State Department has gradually turned the tap back on in some cases: Funding for guards overseeing prison camps in Syria that hold thousands of ISIS fighters was quickly resumed, while exemptions have also been added for life-saving assistance.

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