Does the UK still support opposition forces in Syria?

Yes. The US and UK has provided considerable financial support to so-called “moderate” armed opposition forces. Yet the vast majority of these forces are now dominated by jihadist militants with no intention of creating democracy in Syria. They would readily dismantle the broadly secular constitution in which most Syrians take pride.

The UK contributed at least £199m (of taxpayers’ money) to opposition forces between 2015-2017, offering political support, infantry training, communications apparatus and logistics equipment.

Many armed opposition groups, although diverse, are not moderate. They adopt the same extremist ideology as Jabhat al-Nusra, ISIS or other terrorist factions. For example, the Army of Islam, which controlled much of Eastern Ghouta prior to their eviction, paraded prisoners including women through the streets in cages.

In December 2017, the UK government was forced to cease some of its funding to opposition groups following reports that money was “diverted to extremists” and that recipients were linked to groups which had committed atrocities such as stoning.

Despite these concerns, the US and UK continue to support projects involving armed opposition groups. What is more, government ministers continue to refuse to disclose the names of opposition groups supported. While supporting armed groups, the UK government seeks to block international support for rebuilding efforts.