The head of Syria’s White Helmets rescue force has been making the rounds in Washington over the last week to spotlight the dire humanitarian crisis in Idlib — and the need to ensure aid makes its way to some million displaced people in the embattled province. White Helmets chief Raed Saleh capped his week in Washington off by meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun on Monday to discuss Idlib.
“Deputy Secretary Biegun commended the Syria Civil Defense and its courageous team of first responders, known as the White Helmets, for providing life-saving assistance to the victims of aerial bombardments and mortar attacks on homes, schools and hospitals perpetrated by the [Bashar al-Assad] regime and its allies,” State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.