U.S. is Providing $100 Million in New Aid to Syria

Money will be going to refugees such as these who are internally displaced at the Maiber al-Salam refugee camp along the Turkish border.

The Obama administration is providing $100 million in new aid to Syria.

Hold your horses — this money will not be going to arming rebels but will be used solely for humanitarian purposes. According to the Associated Press, John Kerry will make the official announcement on Thursday from Rome.

The money will specifically support the 1.4 million Syrian refugees as well as the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have been trapped inside the bloody warfare that has been ravaging the country for over two years. This new aid will bring total U.S humanitarian assistance in Syria to $510 million since the war started.

The money goes to U.N agencies for children and refugees. More than half of the aid if going specifically towards food, shelter, health and other programs which include building a new refugee camp in Jordan.

The United States is the largest single humanitarian donor in the Syrian conflict and it is pushing that its donation will convince other countries including Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey too maintain open borders with Syria and not force refugees back into a life-threatening situation in their home country.

Although this is obviously a big help to many humanitarian organizations, this will unlikely solve the grave conflict that has killed over 70,000 Syrians. Recent news from the White House had revealed that the U.S was contemplating providing weapons to vetted rebel units in the armed opposition. But the U.S still maintains deep reservations about providing direct military assistance, as there is a growing presences of al-Qaida linked extremism in rebel groups.