Beleaguered Syrian opposition asks for more US aid against insurgency, fight against Assad

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – The head of the Syrian moderate opposition is asking for more foreign aid as his rebels try to back a bloody insurgency even as they continue their so-far unsuccessful effort to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Syrian opposition leader Ahmad al-Jarba’s plea Friday comes as the White House seeks to send $500 billion to the increasingly beleaguered moderate Sunni rebels who are facing two fronts in the protracted civil war.

Jarba told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the insurgents’ march across the porous border between Syria and Iraq has created confusion across the region, and he said the war against terrorism must be stronger than ever.

Kerry said the moderate rebels will be crucial in the cross-border fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.