U.S. Central Command Statement on Delay of Humanitarian Aid to Rukban IDP Camp

November 1, 2018

Release Number 20181101-01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. – ‎Statement on delay of humanitarian aid to the Rukban internally displaced persons camp, attributed to Navy Capt. Bill Urban, U.S. Central Command spokesman.

Russia has again refused to support a U.N. delivery of humanitarian assistance from Damascus to the Rukban internally displaced persons camp despite U.S. security guarantees.

Counter to the false claims made to the United Nations by Russia, conditions are ripe for this critical aid to be delivered to the people of Rukban, where conditions remain dire. This is the latest episode of a malicious campaign by Russia and the Assad regime to muddle ground truth and hinder humanitarian operations.

Throughout the conflict in Syria, the U.S. has provided extensive financial and operational support to U.N. agencies and NGOs operating in Rukban, Syria. The United States and its partners stand ready to provide the security that would allow U.N. humanitarian aid convoys to reach the camp to provide needed aid.

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