UK to send aid to opposition groups inside Syria

LONDON – The foreign secretary says Britain has allocated $795,000 to supply non-lethal aid to the opposition inside Syria.

It is the first time the U.K. is pledging assistance to opposition groups inside the country as they fight President Bashar Assad's regime.

Thursday's announcement by Foreign Secretary William Hague comes ahead of international talks this weekend on how to end the violence in Syria, where the U.N. estimates some 9,000 have died in the past year.

Precise details of what type of support will be offered are still being determined, though the package is likely to include secure telephones.

Britain has repeatedly stressed it isn't prepared to consider supplying weapons to the country's opposition.