Washington research probes lately formed humanitarian group (3,8)

I believe the answer is:

red crescent

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'humanitarian group' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'washington research probes lately' is the wordplay.
'washington' becomes 'dc' (Washington DC).
'research' becomes 'res' (academic abbreviation).
'probes' indicates putting letters inside (probe can mean to poke or prod into).
'lately' becomes 'recent' (I've seen this before).
'dc'+'res'='dcres'
'dcres' inserted into 'recent' is 'RED CRESCENT'.

'formed' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for red crescent that I've seen before include "Aid organisation in Muslim countries" , "Provider of relief to war victims" , "Muslim relief organisation" , "emergency medical group" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.