16 million dollars for this. “But one Al Qaeda-backed group has selected officer recruits while another extremist cell siphoned off cash in a protection racket. It also emerged that a number of employees on the payroll of the Free Syrian Police were either fictitious or dead. And its officers have stood and watched as women were stoned to death.”
But…but…they were “vetted moderates”!
“£12m foreign aid project axed in ‘cash for jihadis’ storm: Al Qaeda-backed group selected recruits for Syrian police force set up using taxpayers’ money,” by John Stevens, Daily Mail, December 3, 2017:
A £12million foreign aid project was halted last night amid fears some of the money has gone to jihadis.
The British taxpayers’ cash was handed over to set up a civilian police force in Syria.
But one Al Qaeda-backed group has selected officer recruits while another extremist cell siphoned off cash in a protection racket.
It also emerged that a number of employees on the payroll of the Free Syrian Police were either fictitious or dead.
And its officers have stood and watched as women were stoned to death.
Boris Johnson pulled the plug on the project yesterday. Back in April however the Foreign Secretary announced it would receive an extra £4million on top of the £8million awarded since 2014.
Much of the money was handed over in bags of cash.
Britain is one of six countries funding the community-led policing scheme in opposition-held regions of Syria.
A Panorama investigation tonight will raise grave concerns about the way it is run by Adam Smith International, a foreign aid contractor which has been accused of making excess profits from handouts to the poor.
One police station at Koknaya near Idlib in north-western Syria was supposed to have 57 officers. But documents obtained by Panorama suggest that when ASI staff visited in September 2016 they could not find a single policeman.
The company said it used cash to fund the police because there was no practical alternative and that on subsequent visits the officers were accounted for.
It said it had identified only a few examples of dead officers staying on the payroll.
But its documents also revealed that some police in the Aleppo area were made to hand over cash to an extremist group.
The report – dated July 2016 – warned that a fifth of salaries were being diverted to Nour Al Din Al Zinki ‘to pay for the military and security support that Zinki provides to the five stations in areas under its control’.
Officers worked with the group even though it is accused of atrocities including beheading prisoners.
ASI said it had strict guidelines to ensure detainees were treated fairly and that payments to the police stations involved were stopped in August 2016.
The Panorama documentary discovered evidence that the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda – Jabhat Al Nusra – chose recruits at a station in Idlib province. The Free Syrian Police has provided support for Al Nusra courts that hand out extreme punishments.
Its officers were present when two women were stoned to death near Sarmin in December 2014.
ASI said the policemen who attended the stoning were not formally under the force’s control and have since been removed.
It claimed that at the station where Al Nusra picked officers, only six people with alleged links to extremist networks were employed from a headcount of 3,400 policemen.
On the diversion of funds, it said there was evidence that only $2,000 had fallen into the hands of extremists and none of it came from British taxpayers.
Tory MP Crispin Blunt said the Free Syrian Police should not be supporting extremist courts.
He said: ‘The idea that British taxpayers’ money was associated with that would of course be wholly abhorrent.’…
WorkingClassPost says
They needn’t be too concerned, they’ll probably get an Oscar like the white helmets did.
Jayell says
Not sure I understand the ‘white helmet’ bit, but I do understand that it’s MY cash that’s been paying for these pillocks. Whilst, apparently, I and my friends over here have also been simultaneously playing Santa Claus to Pakistan all year round, whilst their citizens who grace us with their presence here in the UK are doing a good job in bankrupting the Welfare State! And the Almighty Khan of London Town swans around the Indian subcontinent (no doubt at my expense) telling them all to come over here for a good time (literally! I heard him on the BBC news!!)
WorkingClassPost says
The white helmets were the earlier ‘civil defense’ version of this Syrian police force thingy – paid for by the West and recruited from al-Qaeda/Nusra.
If this link doesn’t work, just search ‘white helmets terror’:-
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k6hSS6xBTw&w=640&h=360%5D
Linde Barrera says
To Jayell- Seems like many in Great Britain feel loads of guilt like the Germans do, for their past dealings with various countries. But why should people under 70 feel any guilt? They had nothing to do with Great Britain’s colonial history.
Laura says
Why should any of us feel guilt for our colonial past, when we gave so much to the countries we colonised. For instance, roads, railways, schools, hospitals, governance and a judicial system. Compare those country now with how they were under British “rule.”
underbed cat says
In some ways in a time of war, money meant for civilians and police officers threatened with death, the suffering occurred on both sides, and in the Syrian Civil war the horrors were every where…opposing muslims fighting and non muslims caught up and a target of the extreme terror. Sometimes I thought Syrian Bassar Assad was protecting Christians, Aysidi at other times he is listed as a war criminal …..cash may have helped some killed others honestly is has been confusing. Some reports of supporting al queda other reports of Isis, cash to police who may or may not have been threatened and it was protection money or it was terror money. Russia now claims a cease fire so hopefully he considered the most vulnerable . others civilians caught in dispute of war. Food, medical supplies drops or cash sent and intercepted can also be life or death. This must be the fog of warfare or stealth warfare. So what were the palates of cash sent by Obma to Islamic Iran? Can we determine long term effects of this ? Britons shocked at money to Islamic al Queda…..look around at the neighborhood.
Tom says
Why doesn’t the Brit government do the more appropriate thing, beside throwing money at them, and send over British police officers to train and mentor these “Free Syria Police” ?
We all know why, because the Brits would soon have to start reporting the corruption, threats and outright criminality of the “Police” and the Brit police would become victims of their Syrian counterparts and would be dead or disappeared very quickly.
This scheme to throw British tax money at the Syrian’s to create a police force appears to be simply a way to funnel funds to various groups fighting in Syria.
Burt says
More blood on the ridiculous UK government hands!
What a pity they make it their business not to be informed by facts!
Their political decisions guided by the left wing, treacherous hacks whose ‘political correctness’ is imbued with their hatred for Christianity!
It is that bias that made them distort events in Syria to the extent that the plight of Christians, the ONLY innocents in the mad muslim civil wars!
Anyone who follows Jihad Watch is far more accurately informed of the complexities in the Syrian conflict to know that handing millions of pounds to any ‘rebel’ faction would be to finance Jihadi extremist who may have fought ISIS as well as Assad (the only real lifeline for persecuted Christians) but were up to their necks in the blood of Christian Syrians who’ve been decimated by genocidal maniacs.
Western Governments had only one moral duty and that would have been to provide refuge and safe harbour for Syrian women, children and elderly. Any fighting age men given refuge should only have Christians purely for reasons of being a persecuted minority facing genocide.
As it is our wicked western politicians did the absolute opposite!
Hoards of Muslim ‘refugees’ being fighting age males who abandoned their women, children and elderly in a war zone.
No surprise that our inept politicians, always led by self loathing pc agenda driven ‘liberal’ commentators are exposed once again for the morally bankrupt quislings they are.
They shame themselves and their hands are stained with innocent blood!
LeftisruiningCanada says
WIth so many islamic interest groups latched on to the British teat, and plenty in elected government positions, what’s betting this was all set up by some of the ‘brothers’?
UNCLE VLADDI says
Their Crime Minister, Sharia May, must be so proud!