MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. Kurds in northeastern Syria would have never released militants of the terrorist organization Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) from jails without being prompted to do so by the United States, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday.
She stressed that last week’s release of 600 Islamic State terrorists at the decision of the self-proclaimed administration in northeastern Syria aroused quite a few questions in Moscow.
"Obviously, the Kurds would have never done that without being prompted by the Americans," she said. "Dangerous consequences of that hardly explainable step were obvious. They’ve surfaced before long."
Zakharova said there had already been reports of an upsurge in operations by Islamic radicals, who were infiltrating into areas controlled by the legitimate Syrian authorities and entering into combat clashes with the Syrian military.
"Russia stresses its invariable and fundamental position, its gist being support for Syria’s unity and respect for its territorial integrity and sovereignty," Zakharova said. "We have been systematically urging Damascus and self-proclaimed authorities in the northeast to conduct a constructive dialogue with the aim of finding mutually acceptable solutions in the interests of the local population and the whole country."
Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria in recent years have relied on support from the United States. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has repeatedly drawn attention to this. Even after the pullout of the bulk of US forces from Syria they remained in control of some oil fields in that country. In September, US Senator Lindsey Graham said a US company had concluded a direct agreement with the Kurds.