NOVANEWS
British aid workers in Syria are being targeted by jihadists who are seeking to radicalise them, security sources have said.
The large number of humanitarian aid convoys going into the war torn country are becoming exposed to hardline groups in areas controlled by those opposing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, according to The Independent.
Security sources told the newspaper that there are “cadres” who come back from Syria after going on well-meaning aid missions with new training and links to extremist groups.
A Whitehall source told The Independent: “Aid groups’ work inevitably takes you to places where some serious groups could be operating.
“Some will go out there sympathetic to the general cause, but there will be a cadre that come back with new training and links to groups.”
In recent weeks Syria’s neighbours have closed or tightened several border crossings, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded within Syria’s dangerous frontier regions.
The United Nations said fighting between Assad and the opposition has driven 1.7 million people to flee. Four million people need humanitarian aid in the country.
In April the British Government began funding civilian rebels inside Syria to oversee hundreds of millions of pounds in aid, but not all of the money is reaching its intended recipients.
Aid workers and government officials told The Daily Telegraph that up to 60 per cent of earlier aid sent by the outside world had been stolen by rebel forces, sold for weapons, or squandered.
In recent days there has been confusion over whether Britain will arm the Syrian rebels, with the Foreign Secretary William Hague telling a committee of MPs that “we haven’t ruled out any option”.
The outgoing head of the armed forces, General Sir David Richards, warned in an interview with The Daily Telegraph today that Britain has to be prepared to “go to war” if it hopes to restrain the Syrian regime by implementing no-fly zones and arming the rebels.
British intelligence agencies fear aid workers will fall under the guidance of Jabhat al-Nusra, a group connected to al-Qaeda.
It is believed that among thousands of foreigners more than 100 British men have travelled to fight with opposition forces.
Another source told The Independent that Syria has become a big “ungoverned space” which is concerning counter-terrorism agencies.
David Anderson, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said that conflicts like Syria “have the potential to radicalise individuals in the UK”.
In April the British Government began funding civilian rebels inside Syria to oversee hundreds of millions of pounds in aid, but not all of the money is reaching its intended recipients.
Aid workers and government officials told The Daily Telegraph that up to 60 per cent of earlier aid sent by the outside world had been stolen by rebel forces, sold for weapons, or squandered.
In recent days there has been confusion over whether Britain will arm the Syrian rebels, with the Foreign Secretary William Hague telling a committee of MPs that “we haven’t ruled out any option”.
The outgoing head of the armed forces, General Sir David Richards, warned in an interview with The Daily Telegraph today that Britain has to be prepared to “go to war” if it hopes to restrain the Syrian regime by implementing no-fly zones and arming the rebels.
British intelligence agencies fear aid workers will fall under the guidance of Jabhat al-Nusra, a group connected to al-Qaeda.
It is believed that among thousands of foreigners more than 100 British men have travelled to fight with opposition forces.
Another source told The Independent that Syria has become a big “ungoverned space” which is concerning counter-terrorism agencies.
David Anderson, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said that conflicts like Syria “have the potential to radicalise individuals in the UK”.
