US urges Russia, Syria to facilitate aid to remote camp

BEIRUT – The U.S. military says it is not preventing Syrians from leaving a remote displacement camp near an American base in Syria and is urging Russia and Damascus to help facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Russia has recently called for the Rukban camp to be dismantled and accused the U.S. of hindering such efforts. In the past, Russia and Syria have accused the U.S. of blocking aid delivery.

Col. Scott Rawlinson, a spokesman for the U.S. military, said Monday that it supports U.N. efforts to improve conditions in the Rukban camp, which houses over 40,000 people in a remote area near the Jordanian border. The camp lies within a "de-confliction zone" agreed on by the U.S. and Russia.

Rawlinson says the U.S. "expects all parties to abide by this agreement."