Russia will support Syria’s fight against terrorism in Idlib despite Trump’s calls to stop it – Kremlin

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Russia will support Syria's fight against terrorism in Idlib despite Trump's calls to stop it – Kremlin
Syrian army troops. © Sputnik / Mikhail Voskresenskiy

Both the Russian Armed Forces and the country’s advisers will “support the Syrian Arab Republic armed forces in their fight against terrorism,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing on February 17.

Referring to escalating terrorist attacks in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, he said that the Russian government “still regrets that these terrorists have revitalized in Idlib.”

The statement follows US President Donald Trump’s recent call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which Trump “expressed concern over the violence in Idlib.” He also praised “Turkey’s efforts to prevent a humanitarian crisis” in the province, and hoped that Russia would stop supporting the Assad government, according to Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere.

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yrian army takes control over all villages around Aleppo, eliminating threat of terrorist shelling

Tensions in the Idlib de-escalation zone have been steadily rising in recent weeks. On February 3, a Turkish armed convoy came under artillery fire, leaving five dead as a result. The tragedy occurred when the Syrian Army was conducting an operation against terrorists in the area, and was not notified of the convoy’s movements, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Ankara retaliated, firing on known Syrian Army positions, and sending additional troops into the de-escalation zone 10 days later. In response to the troop surge, Damascus officially recognized the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire.

Erdogan and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin also discussed the situation on the ground in a phonecall last week. The two leaders agreed that the Sochi agreement on the Idlib de-escalation zone must be fully implemented.

Syrian army takes control over all villages around Aleppo, eliminating threat of terrorist shelling

The Syrian military has established full control of all areas surrounding Aleppo for the first time since 2012, putting an end to the terrorist shelling of the country’s second-largest city.

A total of 23 villages to the west and north of the city were liberated, as fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) fled from their positions, state broadcaster SANA reported.

The news prompted large-scale celebrations in Aleppo. Residents took to the streets after dark waving Syrian national flags, and drivers honked their car horns.

Aleppo was freed in 2016 in a joint operation by Syrian and Russian forces, but anti-government militants remained holed up in the suburbs and nearby villages. From there, they shelled the city with mortars on a regular basis, causing widespread destruction and civilian deaths.

 

Source:rt.com

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