MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Moscow is concerned over the situation on US-controlled territories in Syria, where a threat of international terrorism is coming from, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in an interview with TASS.
"We are seriously concerned over the current situation on territories that are not controlled by [Syrian legitimate] authorities, in particular in Idlib, on the Euphrates eastern bank, and in al-Tanf, where the Americans continue their illegal presence. The United States’ recent operation to neutralize Islamic State (terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) leader Abu Ibrahim [al-Hashimi] al-Qurayshi in the Idlib de-escalation zone is vivid evidence that this is where the major threat of international terrorism comes from," he said.
He also recalled the attack on the al-Sinaa prison in al-Hasakah in northeastern Syria staged by Islamic State militants in January, when "several hundreds of dangerous terrorists found themselves free." "These facts point to the necessity of the soonest restoration of the Syrian government’s control over the entire territory of the country and the establishment of efficient international cooperation with Damascus in the anti-terrorism sphere," Syromolotov stressed.
On January 20, a gang of some 200 Islamic State militants seized the al-Sinaa prison in the city of al-Hasakah holding over 3,500 inmates, including mercenaries who took part in combat operations on the side of terrorists. Kurdish units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control a larger part al-Hasakah conducted a large-scale operation backed by the US air force to quash the mutiny. On January 26, the Kurds regained control of the prison, killing 240 terrorists.
On February 3, the White House released President Joe Biden’s written statement saying that the US air force had conducted a successful counter-terrorist operation in northwestern Syria, killing Islamic State leader al-Qurayshi. According to Associated Press sources, at least 13 people were killed in the nighttime operation in Syria, near the border wuth Turkey.