NATO former military chief believes neither Syria nor Russia could attack UN aid convoy

BERLIN, September 21. /TASS/. The attack on a humanitarian convoy near Syria’s Aleppo could work in terrorists’ favor, former chairman of the NATO Military Committee Harald Kujat told Germany’s N-TV channel on Wednesday.

Kujat, who also served as Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, said there is no evidence for shifting the blame for the incident on any party to the Syrian conflict.

"I cannot imagine that Russia wanted to torpedo its agreements with the United States by this attack," Kujat said, adding that he did not believe that "Syria’s authorities would bomb a convoy of the Syrian humanitarian organization, the Syrian Red Crescent."

"So we have only terrorists who absolutely do not want the US and Russia to unite their military efforts in line with the agreements and act together against them," the former NATO official said.

"But there is no proof so far, an investigation on the scene is needed for this," he said. "All we hear now is just speculation." "It should be noted that starting from yesterday the UN has been talking about just an attack rather than attack from the air as they cannot prove this was bombing," Kujat said.

A joint humanitarian convoy of the UN and the Syrian Red Crescent was hit near Aleppo on September 19. A UN spokesman said 18 out of 31 vehicles were destroyed or damaged but could not confirm this was an airstrike.

The US administration has blamed Russia for the attack on the convoy. The Russian Foreign Ministry has rejected the claims saying neither Russia nor Syria were behind the attack.

"Such unfounded and hasty accusations are designed, among other things, to distract attention from a strange ‘error’ made by pilots of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition on September 17 when its planes bombed the Syrian government troops positions near Deir ez-Zor," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.