Moscow Has Evidence Proving White Helmets Are Jabhat al-Nusra’s Branch

MOSCOW- Moscow has evidence proving that the White Helmets are directly linked to the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday, according to IItar Tass.

“It is no secret that this agency was active only in areas not controlled by the [Syrian] government and did not avoid contacts with terrorists and extremists. Moreover, there are numerous witness reports saying that the White Helmet actually are a branch of the Jabhat al-Nusra organization blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council,” the statement reads.

 In this regard, the ministry pointed out that White Helmets members had chosen to flee abroad after the government forces had liberated southwestern Syria from terrorists. The Russian Foreign Ministry once again warned that the White Helmets were getting ready to stage a new provocation in the Idlib province. “According to available information, the notorious White Helmet organization, established with the support of western intelligence agencies, desperately seeks to make a statement in Syria, particularly in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Just like before, they are preparing a sensational show aimed at giving a free hand to those opposing the legitimate Syrian government, who are reluctant to abandon their aggressive plans – these include, first and foremost, some Western states led by Washington,” the statement says.

“We are confident that everyone will sooner or later see the true face of the White Helmets. We call on their western sponsors to try to understand the true situation and stop protecting extremists,” the ministry concluded.

Moscow has on numerous occasions said that the White Helmets plan to carry out provocations involving chemical weapons in order to blame them on Damascus and justify the western countries’ airstrikes on Syria.

H.M