MOSCOW, January 27. /TASS/. The US and local Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria have failed to eliminate the hotbeds of terrorism and ensure stability and security in the areas they control, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexey Zaitsev stated at a briefing on Thursday.

"It is obvious that neither the US nor the local Kurdish authorities have managed to ensure security in the northeastern Syrian territories they control," the diplomat noted. "We reaffirm our stand, [stressing] the need for unconditional respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, restoring control of the legitimate authorities over all the country’s regions after withdrawing foreign military contingents illegally deployed there. This is the only way to finally eliminate international terrorism in Syria and ensure sustainable stability and security in and around [the country]," Zaitsev said.

The diplomat recalled the recent incident in the Syrian city of Hasek, when the militants of the Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) attacked the al-Sinaa prison to free the terrorists. In response, Kurdish units of the Syrian Democratic Forces, together with the US, launched a military operation to clean up the areas occupied by terrorists. "As a result of the US airstrikes, <…> the buildings of the technical college and the local university’s economic department were demolished, the fuel depot was also destroyed. The sides suffered significant losses, including civilian casualties," the diplomat went on to say. "The success of the ISIS attack against the Sinaa prison, where the most dangerous terrorists were kept, proved yet again that the US military failed in its mission."

Damascus statement

In this context, Zaitsev highlighted the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s statement, where the terrorist attack and the Kurdish units’ retaliatory measures were viewed as "crimes that caused deaths and the significant destruction of civilian infrastructure."

"Damascus described the US actions in a similar way, emphasizing the barbaric nature of its air raids," the Russian diplomat maintained. "The US and Turkey have once again been called upon to remove their illegal military presence in Syria <…>," Zaitsev said.