Russian Foreign Ministry on Syrian Conflict

by Stephen Lendman

Since Russia intervened in September 2015 at the behest of Bashar al-Assad, significant progress was made in liberating parts of the country held by US-supported terrorists.

In her press briefing days earlier, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on improving conditions - despite a long way to go to restore peace and stability to the war-torn country.

Establishment of four de-escalation zones was a significant achievement - despite US violations, likely more ahead.

Still Syrian forces were freed to "concentrate their efforts on the hottest spots and wage a successful fight against militants of ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and affiliated terrorist organizations," Zakharova explained. 

"The main hostilities are taking place in Deir ez-Zor, Homs, Aleppo, Hama, Deraa and a number of suburbs of Damascus." 

"The units of the Syrian Government army continue their offensive in the south and east of Aleppo Province." 

"They have extended their zone of control to include vast territories in the area of the Jabal at-Tuveihina, and freed from terrorists a number of towns including Maskanah, Al-Azizia and, Radda Al-Kabira."

US-supported terrorists maintain fierce resistance, "trying to destroy as much infrastructure" as possible - US-led terror-bombing doing the same thing on the phony pretext of combating ISIS Washington and its rogue allies support.

ISIS and other terrorist groups "are getting not only moral and financial support from (foreign sources), but also manpower replenishment" and weapons, Zakharova explained.

US-led terror-bombing of vital infrastructure, residential areas, and government forces "increase(s) the suffering of Syrian civilians and the number of victims among them is growing every day. Everyone is alarmed…by this situation," she stressed.

"Such irresponsible military tactics (are) unacceptable…" They violate international law. US-led operations continue illegally with Security Council or Damascus authorization.

Western media propaganda violates core principles of journalism. "Time and again we have exposed fake stories that players in and outside the region use in a desperate attempt to translate into reality their obsessive idea about regime change in Syria," Zakharova explained

Focus should be on combating terrorism. Washington and its rogue allies support the scourge they claim to oppose. 

On Saturday, Sergey Lavrov told Rex Tillerson US airstrikes on government and allied forces are unacceptable.

According to Russia's Foreign Ministry, "Lavrov expressed his categorical disagreement with the US strikes on pro-government forces and called on him to take concrete measures to prevent similar incidents in the future."

Previous Russian warnings and admonitions went unheeded. No evidence suggests Washington's imperial agenda changed.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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