Syria: terrorists preparing for wide-scale attack

By Vestnik Kavkaza
Syria: terrorists preparing for wide-scale attack

The terrorists of Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra, who are not participating in the Russian-American agreement on a ceasefire in Syria, do not intend to lay down their arms. According to the Russian Center for Peacemaking in Syria, yesterday, after an artillery preparation, terrorists of criminal groups controlled by al-Nusra, including about 1500 people, three tanks and 20 vehicles with machine guns, attacked positions of the Kurdish militia in the Sheikh Maksud District in Aleppo.

As a result of the shooting, 18 peaceful residents were killed, including children, as well as 11 soldiers of Kurdish self-defense units. 36 people were injured. Due to the drastic escalation of the situation, the Russian Air Space Forces attacked positions of Jabhat al-Nusra in the suburbs of Aleppo, preventing their attempts to attack. There is information that the number of armed groups which are controlled by al-Nusra is growing in Aleppo. More than 90 people arrived in the Ashrafia District. Daesh tried to capture a military aerodrome 40 km from Damascus. The events show that the terrorists are probably preparing for a wide-scale attack.

Meanwhile, Sergey Markov, the director of the Institute of Political Studies, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Russia has seriously changed the situation in Syria: “The withdrawal of the Air Space Forces was partial, because we had bombed all the major bases, leaving only sheds. That is why they were driven out. And all our advisors on the ground remained. During this time we restored the combat capability of the Syrian army. Firstly, we formed a powerful militia, which is fighting even better than the Syrian army. Now everyone knows the Desert Falcons division. We formed a fourth military corps, which is also ready to carry out offensive operations.”

“Most likely, after Palmyra, Deir ez Zor will be liberated soon, there is a large militant group there surrounded by government troops. After that, the western part of Aleppo will be blockaded, Dzhabhat al-Nusra rules there for the moment. There are various militants, they are directed by Dzhabhat al-Nusra. They will be overthrown, and probably part of Aleppo will go to conciliation, after that the government troops will take control of the Syrian-Turkish border. After that the strength of ISIS will be weakened by 60-70%. By the end of this year newspapers will cease writing about Islamic State,” Markov predicts.

There are no changes in the Russian position on Syria. “The fate of President Assad must be decided by the Syrians themselves. Understanding the complexity of the situation, we have launched the relevant international support mechanism to implement this. Syria is in a deadlock in the current situation due to the efforts of the Western partners. And it is evident to everyone that it needs assistance from the international community. The international community was not solving the Syrian issue for many years, neither the issue of a peace settlement, nor the issue of the fight against terrorists. It was focused on regime change, and it was talking openly about it. After this policy had led to the growth of terrorism in the region, particularly in this country, to the vast number of casualties, including among the civilian population, when the coalition actions had not brought the expected results, as far as we understand, a decision was made to adjust the position, to make the issue of Assad and his future not the main one, at the same time without removing it from the agenda. These goals and objectives must be priorities in the fight against terrorism and the launch of the peace process,” Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said.

According to her, “a number of the regional players are still pushing the issue of Assad standing down as a fundamental political concept. At the same time, we also note the efforts, in particular of the United States, for a shift in emphasis. Here again, we realize that the fate of Assad was not removed from their agenda. With regard to convergence, I think, of course, it is present. Because the start of the political process is the issue of Syria's future. We can say as much as we want that someone has to leave, that someone has to come, but it is necessary to develop specific mechanisms. And besides the fact that they need to be worked out on paper, we need to create an appropriate foundation for their implementation in practice. We are all engaged with this.”

“Syria’s future is a peaceful future. Of course, this is not an issue of suppression of dissent in this country, it is a question of combating terrorism, it is a question of launching negotiations between Damascus and the opposition, it is an issue of work, as I said, on paper, and the practical implementation of the peace settlement, including the political process, etc. There is no military scenario, there is no military solution to this question. This, finally, has been recognized by everyone. Many were forced to admit, and we understand as well, that this feeling of a possible power scenario is present somewhere inside, but there is a different point of view in society. Most importantly, the most fundamental thing is that it is enshrined in the international instruments of the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions,” Zakharova stated.

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