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Pockets of IS resistance in Syria only in US-run areas — Russian top brass

Peaceful life is returning to Syrian provinces controlled by the country’s legitimate authorities, the Defense Ministry spokesman noted

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Pockets of the Islamic State (IS, a terror group outlawed in Russia) resistance in Syria remain only in areas controlled by the US, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

"As for the current situation in Syria, we recommend that the Pentagon chief study the country’s military map," he said, commenting on the US defense secretary’s statement in which he said that Bashar al-Assad, supported by Iran and Russia, had led the Syrian people to a catastrophe, while the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces was the only organization that had succeeded in defeating terrorists in Syria.

"All pockets of the ISIL [the former name of the IS - TASS] resistance remain only in areas controlled by the US," Konashenkov added.

He also said that peaceful life is returning to Syrian provinces controlled by the country’s legitimate authorities. Demining activities are underway there, businesses are open, as well as markets, schools and kindergartens, Konashenkov pointed out.

"These areas receive humanitarian aid and food that does not contain a single package that the US pays for. However, the United Nations and human rights defenders say that the Syrian people are facing a true catastrophe in the Al-Tanf area occupied by the US troops and in the city of Raqqa that the US is controlling illegally. All this was reflected in Amnesty International’s latest report," the Russian general stressed.