The United States says it will suspend $230 million set aside for stabilization projects in Syria, citing the aid pledged by other coalition partners for recovery efforts in areas liberated from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in northeast Syria.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had "redirected" the funds after coalition partners committed $300 million of their own, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on August 17.
The decision was made based on the additional pledges and "the already significant military and financial contributions made by the United States to date," Nauert said.
According to Nauert, Saudi Arabia had contributed $100 million and the United Arab Emirates had pledged $50 million toward the new funding.
Nauert said that the decision "does not represent any lessening of US commitment to our strategic goals in Syria."
President Donald Trump had frozen the funds in March while his administration reassessed Washington's role in the Syrian conflict.
Nauert said Trump "has made clear that we are prepared to remain in Syria until the enduring defeat of ISIS, and we remain focused on ensuring the withdrawal of Iranian forces and their proxies."
