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Conflict in Syria

Russia comes to conclusion that US defends IS — Foreign Ministry

"If this is the case, then maybe this is exactly why the US side does not agree on publishing the Russian-US agreements on Syria," Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said

Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

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Anti-IS coalition delivers strikes on Syrian troops

MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. US airstrikes at the Syrian army lead to the conclusion that Washington defends the Islamic State (terrorist organization banned in Russia), Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Rossiya 24 TV channel on Sunday.

"If we had suspicions earlier that this is in defense of Jebhat al-Nusra (terrorist organization banned in Russia), then now, after today’s airstrikes at the Syrian army, we come to a scary conclusion — the White House defends IS," Zakharova said.

"If this is the case, then maybe this is exactly why the US side does not agree on publishing the Russian-US agreements on Syria," she continued. "We demand explanations from Washington - whether this is a deliberate policy to support IS or a mistake," she noted.

According to the Syrian government forces’ command, 62 servicemen were killed and 100 more injured in an airstrike near the city of Deir ez-Zor. Russian Defense Ministry’s official spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that on Saturday, "from 5pm to 5:50pm near an aerodrome of the Deir ez-Zor city (Syria), the aircraft of ‘anti-IS coalition’ (two F-16 and two A10) delivered four airstrikes at units of Syrian government forces which were surrounded by Islamic State terrorist groupings," Konashenkov noted.

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Russian Foreign Ministry Syria Syrian conflict

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