I think that the diplomatic concern about “affiliations with the myriad groups that have fought in the civil war” is probably about a little more than “photos of some dudes with guns or know someone tied to paramilitary groups.”
When the rebel forces are dominated by the likes of AL-Nusra (formerly al-Qaeda in Syria), Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam, people’s earlier affiliation with or action in these groups may be a considerably less pleasant than the PR image that the white helmets have. All of which probably leads to the dilemma that the Canadians now find themselves in, having made promise and only later finding out what these promises mean.
