fides.org (11.27.2017)
Washington (Agenzia Fides) – From now on, the United States could channel direct aid to militias and armed self-defense groups organized by Christians in the Middle East, starting from the Nineveh Plain. The news was widespread and emphasized by Clarion Project, Washington-based lobbying organization, funded with donations of tens of millions of dollars, which has as its own specific “mission” the awareness of global public opinion regarding the “dangers of Islamic extremism”. According to Clarion Project, an amendment to the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act calls on Iraq to ensure defense equipment and material are getting to Sunni, Kurdish and Christian groups, including the minority groups of the Nineveh Plain, and that “the U.S. should provide arms, training, and appropriate equipment to vetted elements of the Nineveh Plain Council”. A total of about $1.3 billion is budgeted for military aid to Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Christian groups for 2018.
