Intentional Targeting Of Health Care Facilities In Syria Fueling Migrant Crisis; Proposed USAID Cuts Could Exacerbate Problem

Foreign Policy: Hospitals Become the Front Line in the Syrian Civil War
“…The intentional destruction of hospitals is one of the most important factors driving Syrians out of their country, fueling the largest global migrant crisis since World War II. To save patients and medical workers, staff have moved entire hospitals underground into basements and caves, constructing military-like fortifications to try to keep operating even as the bombs keep falling. … But now those efforts could be endangered. U.S. and U.N. grants have helped make these expensive protections possible, but USAID faces drastic budget cuts as part of President Donald Trump’s America First platform. As a result, aid groups worry that reduced funding will put innocent lives at risk, exacerbate the refugee crisis, and allow extremist groups to fill the void…” (Allen-Ebrahimian, 5/31).

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