Although Kuwait supports the U.S. in aiding “besieged Syrian civilians,” they have also become “the leading source of funding for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists fighting in Syria’s civil war.”
According to The Washington Post, experts have said that “the amount of money that has flowed from Kuwaiti individuals and through organized charities to Syrian rebel groups … [is] in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Treasury Undersecretary David S. Cohen described Kuwait as “the epicenter of fundraising for terrorist groups in Syria.”
Kuwait passed a law against “terrorist funding” last year, but an anonymous official said there has been little effort to enforce it. The Kuwaiti government also set up a “Financial Intelligence Unit” (FIU) at the recommendation of the U.S. But while the FIU now exists, it “is still not operating,” so it is of little help.
The lack of charitable oversight in Kuwait is reportedly so great that “wealthy and prominent religious Kuwaitis often deliver money and supplies directly to rebel groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra,” then openly brag about it on social media.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.