Saudi Arabia said Friday it had contributed 100 million dollars for “stabilisation projects” in areas recaptured from Islamic State militants in north-eastern Syria.
“The funds will focus on projects to restore livelihoods and essential services in the areas of health, agriculture, electricity, water, education, transportation (key roads and bridges), and rubble removal,” the Saudi embassy in Washington said in a statement.
It added that the money would help facilitate the return of Syrians displaced by the violence and ensure that Islamic State “cannot re-emerge to threaten Syria, its neighbours, or plan attacks against the international community.”
North-eastern Syria includes the city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State.
The region is mostly controlled by the Syrian Democratic Fores (SDF), a Kurd-led militia supported by the U.S.
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is a partner to a U.S.-led international coalition that has fought Islamic State in war-torn Syria since 2014.
In recent months, the radical organization has suffered setbacks and lost territory in Syria in separate campaigns by Russia-backed Syrian government forces and SDF.
Saudi Arabia is a major backer of rebels, who are fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Supported by Russians, al-Assad’s forces have recently regained large swathes of territory from West-backed moderate rebels and militants in different parts of the country. (dpa/NAN)
