Gerasimov: All Terrorist Groups in Syria Receive Weapons, Tasks From Abroad

MOSCOW- All terrorist groups in Syria receive weapons, finances and are guided from abroad, Chief of Russia’s General Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister Valery Gerasimov said.

“Take Syria as an example. Prior to Russia’s involvement in the conflict on the government’s side, the country had been actually facing an undeclared war advocating for its right to exist. It is still unclear when this struggle transformed from local unrest to a military conflict. No state has openly declared a war with Syria, but all illegal armed groups receive weapons, finances and are guided from abroad,” he said, according to Itar Tass.

 Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said that US special operations forces and other military units had contributed to the creation of a safe haven for terrorists in western Syria.

The US, which entered Syria without getting the go-ahead from the country’s authorities, has repeatedly been supporting terrorists there. Russia, for its part, is in Syria at the behest of President Bashar Assad and has added considerably to destroying the terrorist group Daesh in the country.

On Situation in Eastern Ghouta

The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that Almost 5,000 militants and their family members have been evacuated from the Syrian city of Harasta located in Damascus suburbs area of Eastern Ghouta to the northwestern province of Idlib, according to Sputnik.

“Overall 4,979 militants and their family members have been evacuated from the city of Harasta to the Idlib province,” the statement read.

According to the statement, a new humanitarian corridor has been opened in Eastern Ghouta on Saturday near the settlement of Irbin to let the militants and their families evacuated from the city.

The situation in Eastern Ghouta has been tense over the past months, resulting  from the ongoing shelling by terrorist groups in eastern Ghouta against Damascus neighborhoods that necessitated  a response by the Syrian army.

Following the escalation, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401 that urges all parties to the conflict in Syria to immediately stop hostilities and adhere to a humanitarian ceasefire for at least 30 days across the whole of Syria in order to ensure the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as the medical evacuation of injured people.

Soon after the adoption of the resolution, Russia announced a daily five-hour humanitarian break in the fighting to prevent more casualties among the population and allow civilians leave Eastern Ghouta.

H.M