US resumes aid to militants in Syria

As negotiations between Syrian officials and the country’s foreign-backed opposition hit a deadlock over the issue of transfer of power, the United States has resumed deliveries of aid to the opposition.

The “non-lethal” aid comes more than a month after al-Qaeda-linked insurgents seized warehouses and prompted a sudden cutoff of Western supplies to other militant groups which are publically backed by Western countries.

US officials said Monday that “the communications equipment and other items are being funneled for now only to non-armed opposition groups,” according to The Associated Press.

Experts say the aid could be seen as a US reward to the militants for their participation in ongoing peace talks with President Bashar Assad’s government in Geneva, Switzerland.

The foreign-backed militants in Syria, now split into al-Qaeda linked groups and other groups, have been fighting the Syrian government for nearly three years.

The US officials, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity, told the AP that the aid was being sent through Turkey into Syria, with the coordination of the Free Syrian Army’s Supreme Military Council, led by Western-backed Gen. Salim Idris.

The halt in supplies last month was only a “precautionary measure” until the White House could once again verify the security of aid packages, the officials said.

More than 100,000 people have died in Syria’s unrests, now in its third year. Internationally brokered peace talks began last week in Geneva but have so far reached nowhere.

The Syrian government’s delegation at the talks presented a declaration of principles for negotiations but it was rejected by the other side. The foreign-backed opposition said the declaration did not mention a transition of power.

The Syrian government insists that Syrians would choose a political system without “imposed formulas from other countries.” It says the only way to decide the future of the country is through holding an election. However, the opposition and Western allies want President Assad to step down.