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Conflict in Syria

Defense Ministry: US Department of State calls for hindering Russia’s struggle against IS

The US Department of State argues that other countries should refrain from providing support for Russian tankers that deliver fuel to the Russian aerospace group in Syria, Mark Toner said earlier

© AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. By urging other countries not to provide support for Russian tankers that deliver fuel to the Russian aerospace group in Syria US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner has in fact openly called for hindering Russia’s struggle against international terrorism in Syria, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has said.

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"Before, the United States’ resistance to Russia in the struggle against the Islamic State and Al-Nusra (terrorist organizations outlawed in Russia) took the form of procrastinations at any negotiations, defaults on its liabilities to separate the opposition from terrorists, and repeated promises to provide information about militants sometime later. Now Mr. Toner has openly urged the other countries to pose hindrances to our air group in fighting against international terrorism in Syria to somehow compensate for the failures of US policies in that country starting from 2014," Konashenkov said.

"Such statements by the Department of State spokesman regrettably confirm our original suspicion that struggle against international terrorism in Syria has never been on the list of goals of the outgoing US Administration," he said.

Konashenkov believes that over just twelve months of combat operations in Syria Russia has managed to achieve something the so-called US-led international coalition "can only dream of."

"Peaceful life is back to more than 2,000 communities, where all government-run infrastructures, social services and life support systems are in operation. A total of 86 armed groups have ended hostilities. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have returned to their homes all over the country to build peaceful life anew. If you are unable or reluctant to fight against the Islamic State and Al-Nusra in earnest, then at least refrain from meddling, please," Konashenkov said.

"Our aerospace group in Syria has all it needs to fight terrorism in that region effectively enough," he added.

The US Department of State argues that other countries should refrain from providing support for Russian tankers that deliver fuel to the Russian aerospace group in Syria, US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner told TASS earlier.

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