Russia Says Turkey Commanding Daesh near Aleppo
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Turkey’s military advisers in Syria are commanding Daesh terrorists operating around Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo.
According to mass media reports, up to 2,000 militants are taking part in the fighting, Zakharova told reporters on Friday as cited by the Tass news agency.
“Journalists say Turkey’s military advisers are commanding them,” she said.
Zakharova also said an intensive traffic of trucks with armed guards have been spotted in the Aleppo.
“They are carrying weapons and ammunition in the north of provinces of Aleppo and Idlib from the side of the border (with Turkey),” she said.
“This looks like another stab in the back of the Syrian army.”
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need for stopping the flow of terrorists and weapons to Syria via Turkey.
Turkey is said to be among the main supporters of the militant groups active in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri elements there and facilitates their safe passage into the violence-wracked state.
Syria has been the scene of a foreign-backed crisis since March 2011. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people in total since March 2011.
The United Nations has stopped counting the death toll in Syria, citing widespread violence across the country as well as complexities in checking the credibility of the statistics provided by the government and other sources.
