Foreign Ministry: Countries that support terrorism in Syria responsible for ISIS massacre in Deir Ezzor

Damascus – The Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said that the bloody massacre committed by ISIS against innocent civilians in al-Bghailiye suburb in Deir Ezzor province is a continuation of the series of barbaric and methodical terrorist acts committed by armed terrorist organizations in Syria, organizations which are receiving support from regional and international states that employ terrorists to serve their own narrow interests and geopolitical agendas in the region.

In two identical letters to the UN Secretary-General and the head of the UN Security Council, the Ministry said that “ISIS hordes attacked al-Bghailiye suburb on Saturday January 16th, breaking into houses and homes and murdering, slaughtering, and shooting innocent civilians, claiming the lives of more than 280 civilians, most of them women, children, and elderly people. In addition, the terrorist organizations abducted around 400 peaceful civilians from al-Bghailiye and transported them to other areas,” SANA reported.

The Ministry said that such crimes wouldn’t have happened without the constant funding, arming, and logistic support provided by intelligence agencies of certain states, particularly, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, adding “in this regard, we underline the destructive role played by France whose diplomacy has become proficient in firing off nonsense which encourages the committing of terrorist acts by demonizing the forces that are actually fighting terrorism.”

The letters said that the massacres and crimes committed by terror organizations in Syria like ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra, Jaish al-Islam (Islam Army), al-Jabha al-Islamiya, Jaish al-Fateh (Conquest Army), the Free Army, Ahrar al-Cham, and other organizations affiliated to them require that the Security Council take steps against the states that are supporting and funding intercontinental terrorism which targets world peace and security.

The Ministry demanded that the international community commit to fighting terrorism away from politicization and double-standards and by direct cooperation and coordination with the Syrian government, calling for providing support to the Syrian government which is fighting terrorism on behalf of the world.

The letters said that such terrorist acts are being committed before the very eyes of the “US coalition” and the other states that cooperate with it, asserting that this coalition proved its failure and its hypocrisy, while the Syrian Arab Army and the Russian Aerospace Forces are waging an undaunted war on terrorism.

The Ministry concluded by saying that as the Syrian government affirms its determination to continue defending the Syrian people and that fighting terrorism in Syria is a priority, it reiterates its calls for the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council to condemn such terrorist acts, and for the Security Council to assume its responsibilities regarding counter-terrorism by implementing relevant resolutions and taking all deterrent measures against the states, individuals, associations, and establishments that violate those resolutions, specifically the regimes of Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, and a number of Western states that continue to conspire against Syria.