Syrian opposition gets boost from Obama administration
The State Department received some praise from Capitol Hill after upgrading the Syrian opposition's status and releasing an additional $27 million in nonlethal assistance.
The Obama administration on Monday granted "foreign mission status" to the Western-backed Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC)'s Washington offices and announced the release of $27 million in nonlethal aid to rebel forces, bringing the total US commitment to $287 million.
The move was timed with the first official visit of coalition President Ahmad Jarba and earned some praise from Capitol Hill, where some lawmakers of both parties have grown increasingly frustrated at the administration's reluctance to get involved more deeply in the three-year conflict.
The opposition's representative offices in Washington and elsewhere in the country now gain status as "foreign missions."
The designation "will allow us to formally facilitate banking and security services for the coalition offices in the United States," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said at Monday's briefing, as well as "facilitate their outreach to the Syrian diaspora in an increased way in the United States as well."
