Cables Say U.S. Supported Syrian Opposition

Previously undisclosed Wikileaks cables say that the U.S. State Department has been funding Syrian opposition groups and related projects since 2006. The cables show that the Movement for Justice and Development, a London-based group of Syrian exiles and liberal Islamists, received $6 million from the U.S. The movement is affiliated with a satellite television network, Barada TV.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he could not speak to the content of allegedly classified cables. When asked if the U.S. seeks to undermine the Syrian government, he  said the U.S. is supporting civil society and democratic institutions in Syria, and is it the Assad regime that perceives this as a threat. He also said that the U.S. is not continually funding the Movement for Justice and Development in any way. When asked if the U.S. is providing bandwidth support to help Barada TV bypass Iranian attempts to block it, Toner said he would to get the details of the exact “technical assistance we’re providing them.”