12 Dec 2013

Military assistance suspended in northern Syria

7:50 am on 12 December 2013

The United States and Britain have suspended all non-lethal assistance to northern Syria after rebels seized arms depots of the western-backed Free Syrian Army.

The Islamic Front was formed last month when six groups merged and pledged to overthrow the President Bashir al-Assad and form an Islamic state.

The Front said last week it had seized anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons from warehouses at the Bab al-Hawa crossing on Syria's northwestern border with Turkey.

The US said the suspension will not impact on humanitarian assistance, which is coordinated by aid agencies.