Thousands of White Helmet rescuers are still in Syria

The co-founder of Syria's White Helmets has requested continued support for the thousands of volunteers still working in northern Syria.

Farouq al-Habib told DW the contingent of volunteers and their families evacuated in July represented just a small fraction of the organization.

"Because the international community failed to ensure protection of civilians inside Syria and particularly for humanitarian workers and the white helmets, the last resort was for those volunteers to escape through the occupied Golan Heights to Jordan," he said in a televised interview this week.

"The group of volunteers who were evacuated represents just a small percentage — around 100 volunteers and their families. But we still have more than 3,000 volunteers in northern Syria who continue their work as usual."

Read more: Germany to offer asylum to selected Syrian White Helmets

Evacuees will integrate well

Farouq thanked Germany for taking in the White Helmet evacuees and promised the volunteers would integrate well into the country.

"We believe that our colleagues who will arrive here (in Germany) will be active in their new communities. Carrying their skills and qualifications they will work to serve civilians there as they did in Syria," he said.

More than 400 volunteers and family members were evacuated from Syria in late July after Germany, other European nations and the US requested Israel's help in doing so.

Read more: Who are the Syrian White Helmets?

Hundreds of White Helmet rescuers prevented from leaving

But another 400 people due to be evacuated were prevented from leaving the besieged region by the Syrian military and its militias. They remained trapped, desperately seeking a way out.

Several aid bodies, including the Right Livelihood Award Foundation have called for additional efforts to evacuate the remaining rescue workers and their families.

The White Helmets help the civilian population of Syria survive a brutal civil war, most visibly by rescuing people from bombed out buildings. The Syrian regime has accused them of having links to jihadist groups, allegations the group strenuously denies.

The group warns that its members face great risk if they are captured by government troops.

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