US to double aid to Syria rebels; Khatib resigns

The United States said Sunday it would double its aid to Syria's opposition, including with new non-lethal military equipment, but paid no heed to calls for arms supplies or a direct intervention.
In a statement after talks among the pro-opposition "Friends of Syria" group in Istanbul, Secretary of State John Kerry said US assistance to the opposition would double to $250 million (191 million euros).
Some of the money will be used to "provide an expanded range of support" to rebel fighters battling President Bashar al-Assad, beyond the current provisions of food rations and medical kits, "to include other types of non-lethal supplies," the statement said.
It did not elaborate, but US media had reported that Washington is preparing to provide the rebels with protective battlefield equipment such as body armour, armoured vehicles and night-vision goggles, as well as communications gear.

But the pledge fell short of opposition demands for foreign backers to supply the rebels with arms, institute a no-fly zone and carry out airstrikes on positions used by the Assad regime to launch missiles.
Many in the West have raised concerns about arming the rebels, fearing weapons could end up in the hands of radical Islamist groups such as the Al-Nusra Front, which this month pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, in a new development, opposition head Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib has refiled his resignation and an interim leader is being sought, a fellow member and a source close to the main opposition group said yesterday.