Alwaght- Russian Defense Ministry says the 100km area around the US al-Tanf base near the Syrian-Jordanian border has become a “black hole” which ISIS terrorists use to carry out attacks against Syrian troops and civilians.
The base, set up by the US in April 2017 near the border town of al-Tanf, is becoming a problem for Syrian troops combatting ISIS terrorists in Deir ez-Zor province, the statement says.
“Unlawful establishment by the US of this military base on Syria-Jordan border in April this year has been publicly justified by ‘the need to conduct operations against ISIS,” the statement reads.
However, “there were no reports of a single American operation against Islamic State during the six months of its existence,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“Though the Pentagon repeatedly claimed that the base is used to train the so-called ‘New Syrian Army’ by the coalition instructors from the US, the UK and Norway,” it has become “a 100-kilometer black hole” on the Syria-Jordan border, the statement added.
The ministry also accused the US of not letting humanitarian convoys through the area to reach the Rukban refugee camp, which is located close to the base.
The camp is reportedly hosting around 60,000 women and children from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
The refugees in Rukban serve as a “human shield” for the American base, the ministry’s spokesman, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, said.
This is not the first time the defense ministry has accused the US of siding with terrorist groups. In late September, the Russian military released aerial images purportedly showing American hardware and equipment in the area north of Deir ez-Zor, controlled by ISIS.
The US-led coalition has been conducting air raids against what are said to be ISIS positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
But the strikes have on many occasions resulted in civilian casualties and failed to fulfill their declared aim of countering terrorism.
