US says helping quake-hit northwest Syria but not Syria's Assad

The United States says it is working with partners to provide earthquake relief to Syria but will stand firm against working with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Stephen Allen, who is leading the response on the ground for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said most of the damage is in areas under rebel control and that USAID has local partners there. He said his agency is reorienting assistance that was already in place to help war-hit Syrians, and focusing on rescue efforts and other immediate needs including providing shelter and food.

“We’ve got the full gamut of humanitarian response going in northwest Syria right now,” Allen told reporters.

He declined to name the non-governmental groups working with the US, citing operational security.