US pledges about $890 million at Syria aid conference
LONDON - US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged a total of around $890 million in aid for Syria and neighboring countries at a donor conference on Thursday and said he was in talks with his Russian counterpart about increasing humanitarian access to the country.
The money comprises about $600 million in humanitarian assistance and around $290 million in development aid for neighboring states, he said.
US officials told reporters that the $290 million would go to Jordan and Lebanon and would pay for such things as education to help them cope with the influx of Syrian children who need to go to school.
The US aid pledge covers the US 2016 fiscal year, which will end on Sept. 30, 2016.
