28 Feb 2025
Tuesday 12 April 2016 - 09:19
Story Code : 209044

Turkey aiding al-Nusra ahead of major Aleppo strike: Russia



As Turkey�continues to aid al-Nusra�Front, some 10,000�militants of the Takfiri terrorist group have converged around Syria�s northwestern province of Aleppo, says Russia's�General Staff.
�Despite progress achieved in securing a ceasefire, Turkey continues to funnel men and arms to al-Nusra Front,��said Lieutenant General�Sergey Rudskoy, the head of the Main Operative Department of the Russian General Staff, on Monday.
On February 27, a US- and�Russia-sponsored ceasefire was brokered�between�the Syrian government and dozens of militant groups operating in the country. Daesh and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra are excluded from the truce.

�Al-Nusra�s men and materiel are being allowed to pass through areas that the US has designated as being controlled by the opposition,��he added while noting that Russia has on multiple occasions called on the US to aid in limiting�al-Nusra�s operations.


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"] Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy, the head of the Main Operative Department of the Russian General Staff[/caption]


Rudskoy�stressed that over 8,000 al-Nusra terrorists have gathered on the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo and 1,500 more are positioned in the city�s north.

In the last 24�hours, over 300 militants, a tank and 20 armed off-road vehicles have arrived in the city�s vicinity, he added.
�It is reliably known that the militants are planning a large-scale offensive with the aim of cutting off communication between Aleppo and Damascus,��he said. �If they are not stopped, we could see a blockade of the northern parts of Syria.�
Last month, Russia set up a center at Hmeimim airbase in Latakia�to monitor the ceasefire.

"The number of settlements that have joined the reconciliation process and signed relevant agreements with the Syrian authorities has risen to 61. A total of 47 statements of intention on cessation of hostilities have been signed with the leaders of armed groups of moderate opposition," Rudskoy added.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly conflict it blames on some foreign states for more than five years. The militancy has left over 470,000 people dead so far, according to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research.

https://theiranproject.com/vdci53ar5t1auu2.ilct.html
Your Name
Your Email Address