President Donald Trump’s order to freeze foreign aid spending has triggered warnings that it will undermine security at a vast camp in the Syrian desert that holds tens of thousands of Islamic State members.
It comes at a time of high anxiety in the region, after the toppling of the nation’s ruler Bashar al-Assad and signs of an I.S.I.S. resurgence.
The Trump administration says a 90-day funding freeze is crucial to identifying where money is being wasted around the globe.
But it also illustrates how aid is frequently spent to bolster Washington’s foreign policy goals.
Officials at the Al Hol camp fear that without U.S. support, which pays for security cameras and other gear to secure gates, they could struggle to maintain control over 39,000 ISIS members, their families and refugees.
‘The Al Hol camp is full of ISIS remnants,’ Jihan Hanan, the camp director and an official in the regional government, told the New York Times. ‘Our prisons are full of ISIS fighters.
‘They pose a huge threat to the people of this region. We were the ones who fought on the front lines against ISIS. We were America’s partners.
‘They should continue with us to the end — or at least until we can ensure peace and security for this region.’
The camp has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism.
Trump’s executive order, first revealed by DailyMail.com, was signed last Monday.
That prompted Secretary of State Marco Rubio to order a halt to all foreign aid spending, including to the American contractor Proximity International.
It runs a program that trains and equips community police.
Hanan said the halt had had a huge effect.
‘They supported internal security,’ she said.
‘They supplied what was needed for the camp gates — the technical equipment they needed, security cameras — all that kind of work, they supported that.’
She added that Proximity International’s contract to provide security ends Friday. The pause means that it cannot sign a new contract in the meantime, although it has applied for an exemption.
Proximity International did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The State Department defended the freeze with a statement Wednesday.
‘We are rooting out waste. We are blocking woke programs,’ it said.
‘And we are exposing activities that run contrary to our national interests. None of this would be possible if these programs remained on autopilot.’