Moscow is seriously concerned over al-Qaeda’s ever-increasing interest in Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
According to her, terrorists plan to turn Syria into their main stronghold in the Middle East.
She referred to a message by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri that was posted on the Internet earlier this week and that focused on the situation in Syria.
She said that in the message, Al-Zawahiri urged the continuation of” jihad” in Syria, something that he said could contribute to the restoration of “caliphate” based on the Sharia system of government, according to the Voice of Russia.
Stressing that Russia strongly condemns terrorism in any form, Zakharova lamented some Russian partners’ inability to adequately assess terrorists’ actions.
M.D