All news

Assad’s adviser: Western coalition gets nowhere in anti-terror fight

The Western coalition has been fighting terrorism throughout the year, but it achieved nothing except for illegal oil supplies to Turkey, Bouthaina Shaaban says

MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. The US-led coalition has achieved nothing since it launched air strikes in Syria, an adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told a conference on the Middle East at the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday, hailing Russia’s effort in the fight against Islamic State.

"The Western coalition has been fighting terrorism throughout the year, but it achieved nothing except for illegal oil supplies to Turkey," Bouthaina Shaaban said.

"Russia came and launched the anti-terrorism flight in earnest, and one month later we saw uproar from the Erdogan government," she told the conference, referring to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey "was helping terrorists cross the border with Syria," she went on. "Our government and Russia are accused of a flow of refugees to Turkey, but indeed they themselves are responsible for this," she added.

Certain forces supported terrorists, the adviser said, and there existed those "fighting them as best they can, like Russia, China and Iran".