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U.S. Announces Expanded Battlefield Aid to Syrian Rebels, But Not Arms
(Washington Post) Anne Gearan and Karen DeYoung - The Obama administration will provide food and medicine to Syrian rebel fighters, Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday, announcing cautious U.S. support that falls far short of the heavy weapons or high-tech gear the rebels seek. "The stakes are really high, and we can't risk letting this country - in the heart of the Middle East - be destroyed by vicious autocrats or hijacked by the extremists," Kerry said. The U.S will send supplies through the rebels' central military headquarters, with U.S. advisers supervising their distribution. Washington also will send an additional $60 million to help the umbrella Syrian Opposition Coalition provide basic services such as sanitation and education in areas the rebels now control. Britain and other nations working in concert with the U.S. are expected to provide the rebel Free Syrian Army with battlefield equipment such as armored vehicles, night-vision devices and body armor.