Moscow: Terrorists affiliated with Washington use Syrian refugees as human shields in Rukban camp

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that terrorist organizations supported and supervised by the US occupation forces are using thousands of Syrian refugees as human shields in Al-Rukban camp in Al-Tanf area in the eastern countryside of Homs.

Deputy Head of the Russian Coordination Center in Syria Oleg Egorov said in a press statement that terrorist groups “run by the United States of America are holding thousands of Syrian refugees in Al-Rukban camp, using them as human shields under tragic conditions, and in dire need of food, water and medical care.”

A number of people who managed to escape from Al-Rukban camp told SANA a reporter that they were subjected to extortion and paid money to those who helped them get out. They pointed to the tragic and harsh conditions they live in, such as fear, abuse, starvation and the spread of drugs and weapons. They also referred to the attempts to force their children to work with these terrorist organizations which receives support from the American occupation forces.

Egorov pointed out that the terrorists are blackmailing the refugees to pay huge sums of money to allow them to leave Al-Rukban camp, noting that the US side rejected the Russian proposal to allow the expert team of the Russian Coordination Center to go to the camp to assess the humanitarian situation.

It is noteworthy that the Syrian and Russian coordinating bodies for the return of the displaced Syrians have confirmed several times the insistence of the United States of America to delay the process of closing the camp, and it is taking all measures that secure its forces full control over Al-Tanf area. The USA also continue supporting and equipping the terrorists it uses to maintain tension and terrorism in Syria. Closing this camp completely, and the return of the displaced to their places of permanent residence, is the only solution that guarantees the return of these displaced persons to their normal lives.”

Inas Abdulkkareem