Tulsi Gabbard, a US Representative from Hawaii, has said in an interview with Russia Today that the United States needs to stop funding and arming terror outfits such as Al Qaeda and ISIS if it wishes to alleviate the sufferings of the refugees who are escaping violence and instability that these groups have caused in their countries.

“For years, our government has been providing both direct and indirect support to these armed militant groups, who are working directly with or under the command of terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS, all in their effort and fight to overthrow the Syrian government,” Russia Today quoted Gabbard as saying.

Gabbard, an outspoken critic of US policies in the Middle East, has introduced a bill in the Congress which, if passed, will prevent CIA and other US agencies from providing financial, material and intelligence support to militants or terror outfits. The bill has received support from both Democrats and Republicans.

“The most important question is, how do we address the cause of these people fleeing their homes,” said Gabbard while talking about her bill called ‘Stop Arming Terrorists Act’.

US has been supporting what it called ‘moderate rebels’ in Syria. These rebels, the Pentagon says, are fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s repressive regime. Russia, on the other hand, has been supporting the Assad regime, and believes that the rebels have support from Al Qaeda.

Gabbard was a part of a fact finding mission to Syria where she met Assad. She has repeatedly criticised the stand that the US has taken on Syria and has often been branded as “Assad’s mouthpiece”.