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Militants in Syria using medical cars to shell settlements — Russian defense ministry

Sixteen shelling attacks by were reported during the past day, Yevgeny Gerasimmov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, said

MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. Militants in Syria use cars with medical symbols and White Helmets vehicles during shelling attacks at positions of government forces and government-controlled settlements, Yevgeny Gerasimmov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria (division of the Russian defense ministry), said on Sunday.

"When conducting mortar shelling of positions of government forces and Syrian government-controlled settlements, militants use cars with medical symbols and vehicles of the White Helmets pseudo-humanitarian organization," he said.

According to Gerasimov, sixteen shelling attacks by were reported during the past day, including eight from positions of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) in the Idlib de-escalation zone, five in the Aleppo governorate, two in the Idlib governorate, and one in Latakia.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.