US to double aid to rebels in Syria

US Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States will provide Syrian rebels $123 million in aid, as foreign ministers discuss how to help the opposition in Syria’s civil war. At a meeting with Western and Middle Eastern ministers in Istanbul, Kerry says a portion of the aid will be used to prove “non-lethal” supplies to the military wing of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, an umbrella organization of the various rebel groups trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. The meeting in Istanbul aims to find consensus on how military assistance should be given to the rebels.
The United States’ new aid will add to the food rations and medical supplies it pledged to give the military wing of the Syrian resistance.
The new pledge brings the total amount of nonlethal assistance from the United States to $250 million. Kerry also urges other nations to increase their assistance, with the goal of providing $1 billion in international aid.

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