Kuwaiti minister resign after US ties him to Syria war

Kuwaiti minister resign after US ties him to Syria war
Sat Apr 5, 2014 16:00:43

Kuwaiti Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Nayef al-Ajmi has reportedly resigned from his post with backing from his fellow cabinet members after being accused by a senior US official of “promoting jihad” in Syria.

The Friday development came despite the minister’s strong denial of the American allegation, claiming that the resignation came due to health reasons and submitted long before the accusations by Washington.

Al-Ajmi further stated that the Kuwaiti cabinet would consider his request to quit on Sunday.

The US Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, David Cohen, alleged earlier in the year that Ajmi "has a history of promoting jihad in Syria."


Ajmi, however, has acknowledged his participation in Syria fund-raising campaigns "for humanitarian aims" and not for Syria's al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front terrorist group as alleged by Cohen.

The development comes as Kuwait, along with other US-sponsored Arab dictatorships in the Persian Gulf region, have been openly funding the insurgency war against the Syrian government with total backing from Washington, which did not want to get directly involved in yet another military engagement in the Arab country amid growing domestic opposition.

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