AL-MAHNAYA (Syria), July 13. /TASS/. More than 2 tons of humanitarian relief supplies have been delivered by the Russian military to Syria’s Homs province, representative of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the warring sides in Syria, Colonel Vitaly Borsolyuk told reporters on Wednesday. Residents of the Al-Mahnaya village have received canned fish and meat, flour and cereals. The local children have received gifts - drawing sets and stationery. In addition, Russia’s military doctors have deployed mobile medical center and administer medical aid to all who needed it.
"We arrived at Al-Mahnaya to distribute humanitarian aid. We have delivered 300 sets for the residents of this settlement," Borsolyuk said. According to him, the Russian Reconciliation Center runs the humanitarian aid campaign in close coordination with the Syrian authorities in order to render aid to the neediest categories of citizens.
A representative of the village administration, Hassan Al-Hassan, said that the positions of the Jabhat al-Nusra group (outlawed in Russia) militants are located just 1.5 kilometers away from Al-Mahnaya. Terrorists regularly shell the village from different types of weapons, trying to disrupt the reconciliation process. He added that since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, the Al-Mahnaya residents have organized people’s militia, and are fighting against terrorists jointly with the Syrian army. "The militants will never be able to seize our village, because we are here to defend our land. So they will never ever enter the village," Al-Hassan said. He also thanked Russia for its support to the Syrian people in the fight against international terrorism and for humanitarian assistance.
On Tuesday, the Russian Reconciliation Center said that humanitarian cargoes, mostly flour, rice and canned fish and meat, were delivered to low-income families in the settlements of Blouta and Hambushiya in the province of Latakia. A total of 18.5 tons of United Nations humanitarian cargoes, primarily food products and cereals, were delivered by a Russian Abakan Air plane to the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor besieged by Islamic State terrorists, as follows from the bulletin.
A ceasefire regime brokered by Russia and the United States on February 22 officially came into effect in Syria at midnight Damascus time on February 27. This does not cover terrorist groups such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, both outlawed in Russia, and other groups recognized as terrorist by the United Nations Security Council.
An hour before the ceasefire came into force, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution in support cessation of hostilities in Syria. The document was initiated by Russia and the United States and won support from all the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council.
The Russian Reconciliation Center aims to assist armed groups in Syria in concluding ceasefire agreements, maintain the truce regime, control its observance and organize the delivery of humanitarian cargoes to civilians.