The Netherlands has decided to end its support to militants in Syria, since the program did not yield “expected” results. The move comes as journalists found one of the groups had been labeled as terrorists by the country itself.

“The opportunity to quickly change the situation [in Syria] is extremely small,” reads the letter the lower house of the parliament by Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok and Minister for Foreign Trade Sigrid Kaag, announcing the end of support programs for the militants in Syria.

The program to support of “moderate” anti-government groups in Syria was established in close cooperation with “like-minded donors who pursued the same goals as the Netherlands” and cost the country over $80 million (some €80 million) over the years, according to the document. It failed to “bring the expected results,” however, and is to be closed since the Syrian troops “will soon win” the war against militant groups.

Over the years, the Netherlands allocated $29 million (€25 million) to the so-called “non-lethal assistance” (NLA) program, $14.5 million (€12.5 million) were donated to the so-called White Helmets and $17.1 million (€14,8 million) went to the Access to Justice and Community Service (AJACS) program. The AJACS was supposedly designed to support “community police” work in Syria, specifically the so-called Free Syrian Police (FSP) group.

The support for militants is set to end immediately, yet the White Helmets will be funded until December, according to the document. Since the White Helmets now operate only in the Idlib province, which is believed to be the destination of the looming offensive by the Syrian Army and its allies, their future is quite doubtful, the document states.

The move has come amid a damning journalist investigation by the two Dutch newspapers – Nieuwsuur and Trouw. According to their report, 22 armed militant groups were subjects to receive supplies through the NLA program. The “non-lethal” goods supplied by the Dutch government included satellite phones, uniforms, assorted equipment and even the ‘iconic’ Toyota Hilux pick-up trucks, widely used by various militant groups in Syria.

At least one of the groups supplied by the Netherlands, Jabhat al-Shamiya, turned out to be labeled a terrorist group by the country’s own justice department, the journalists have revealed. One Dutch man is currently prosecuted for joining the group back in 2015, with the indictment describing it as a “salafist and jihadist” movement which can qualify only as a “criminal organization with terrorist intent.” The ultimate goal of the group is creation of a “caliphate,” according to the prosecution.

Five other militant groups that the journalists managed to identify have been also involved in human rights violations and cooperated with terrorist groups, the investigative report states. More information about the militants will be released by the two newspapers in the following days.

The extent of the Dutch support to actual terrorists in Syria might be even bigger, since the other recipients openly named in the government letter are quite controversial, to say the least.

The FSP has been operating exclusively in Syria’s province of Idlib, largely controlled by the local Al-Qaeda branch, Al-Nusra Front (now rebranded as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham). The FSP got in limelight last December, when BBC aired the Panorama program titled ‘Jihadis You Pay For.’ The program claimed that the FSP officers had to be approved by Al-Nusra henchmen to get enlisted into the “police force.”

Following the program’s broadcast the UK Foreign Office suspended funding to the FSP through the AJACS program, and ended it completely in August.

The White Helmets have likewise been repeatedly accused of closely cooperating with jihadist groups and effectively serving as their media branch. The group has advertised itself as a volunteer force and Syria’s “civil defense.” The White Helmets have been widely praised in the West and even received an Oscar for a “documentary” movie. The mounting evidence, however, suggests, that they’ve been actively participating in other sorts of “filmmaking,” namely staging chemical attacks that were blamed on the Syrian government.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!</s>The prosecutor's office's spokesperson told reporters that the office still adhered to its position, but could comment on the fact that the group was recognized as a terrorist one only within the framework of a specific criminal case.

The media reported that apart from Jabhat al-Shamiya, the authorities also assisted other armed groups that were involved in "serious human rights violations" and "cooperation with extremists."

Dutch lawmakers said they were "shocked" by the news. The country's Foreign Ministry said that they treated the information "very seriously," and stressed that this only strengthened them in the decision to stop assistance programs for armed opposition, which were adopted last week.

Earlier in the day, the government of the Netherlands announced the complete cessation of assistance to opposition groups and other organizations in Syria due to the inefficiency of the program. According to them, the program did not bring the expected results, while the troops of Syrian President Bashar Assad, in their opinion, "will soon win."

The Netherlands has reportedly allocated over $80 million to the Syrian opposition groups, including to the Free Syrian Police and White Helmets. The support for the opposition was set to end immediately, while White Helmets will be funded until December. The Kingdom did not provide weapons to groups, aid was allocated to purchase food, cars and equipment.

The Syrian authorities have said that the lifesaving procedures shown in the videos published by the White Helmets were fake and staged. Moscow called the activities of the White Helmets a part of a defamation campaign against the Syrian authorities. Moreover, both Moscow and Damascus said that the White Helmets had ties with terrorists and extremists. The group's head, Raed Saleh, said in August that the White Helmets were not linked to any terror organization.

READ MORE: US-Spawned Terrorism in Syria 'Will Turn Around Like a Boomerang & Destroy Them'</s>The Netherlands has stopped funding the Syrian opposition in the civil war against president Assad, foreign minister Stef Blok and trade minister Sigrid Kaag have told MPs in a briefing.

The chance that rebel forces will be able to win the civil war is, the ministers say, now ‘extremely limited’. Dutch support for the rebels has ‘not had the desired effects’, the ministers said. The Netherlands had set aside €70m to fund the opposition.

In addition to funding ‘moderate’ rebels, the Netherland had also put money into their police forces and to the White Helmets programme, the civilian rescue service. Funding for the first two programmes has stopped immediately while the White Helmet support will end in December.

The Netherlands will, however, continue to support Syrian people ‘which will be extremely necessary’ in the coming period, ministers said. Some three million people live in Idlib, which is the last rebel stronghold and where a major offensive by Assad supporters Russia is said to be about to take place.

In their briefing ministers are pessimistic about the current situation in Syria, saying that a military victory by Assad’s forces is ‘imminent’ and that the ‘inherent instability’ means the prospects for lasting peace are gloomy.

However, the Netherlands will continue to strive for a political solution and to support Syria’s neighbouring countries which have also been hit by the conflict, the letter said.

Read the report on the three projects (English)</s>The Netherlands has withdrawn support for Syrian rebels ahead of the Idlib offensive

Airstrikes have already begun ahead of an expected offensive by Russia on the province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in the country.

The chances the rebel forces will be able to win the civil war now is “extremely limited”, according to a letter read out by Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok and Minister for Foreign Trade Sigrid Kaag.

The Netherlands spent €80million (£71million) on programmes in Syria in order to support “moderate” anti-government groups during the civil war, but these “failed to bring the expected results”.

The support for militants will end immediately, but the White Helmets will be funded until December.</s>"The opportunity to quickly change the situation [in Syria] is extremely small," the letter by Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag, published on the government’s website, says.

The ministers said that the program "did not bring the expected results," while the troops of Syrian President Bashar Assad, in their opinion, "will soon win."

READ MORE: Journo Says Damascus Has Moles in White Helmets, Info on Future Provocations

The support for the opposition was set to end immediately, while White Helmets will be funded until December.

Both Damascus and Moscow accused militants and the White Helmets non-governmental organization of staging several provocations involving chemical weapons to influence public opinion and justify foreign intervention in Syria.
The Netherlands halts funding of the Syrian opposition and police forces, saying the chances of them winning the war are "extremely limited". Dutch support for the White Helmets will also end in December 2018.