Alwaght- The Syrian envoy to the UN Bashar Jaafari has said that the government of Syria will take back Idlib from the terrorist groups.
The permanent representative added that the province is a “valuable” part of the country and Damascus intends to bring it back under its control.
He blasted the “double standards” by the Western countries in dealing with Idlib and Aleppo situations, saying that the countries did not take any condemning stance against the Wednesday artillery attack of the terrorists on the civilians in Aleppo.
“Neither Staffan de Mistura [the UN envoy to the Syrian crisis] nor the Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres] and not even the Security Council members made any comments on the attack,” he said.
He asserted that the government will not allow the region to remain a safe haven for the foreign-backed terrorists.
“Yes, we will take back Idlib… when the government sees the right time. It will restore its governance in the region. This means when we make sure that the diplomatic and political measures fail to return this valuable part of our country to our national governance.”
SANA, Syria's official news agency, reported, quoting him, that some 30,000 foreign terrorist fighters are now present in the northwestern province. They, according to him, violated the truce by not removing their heavy weaponry from Idlib as agreed. Russia and Turkey in mid-September agreed on the ceasefire between the government and the Turkish-backed militias during a meeting between the Russian and Turkish presidents in Sochi, Russia.
Terrorist violations, White Helmets' provocation
There is a host of foreign-sponsored terrorist groups in Idlib, each controlling part of the Syrian province. On Wednesday, rocket and artillery attack hit residential areas in Aleppo and killed civilians. The city is under the control of the government. The attack is a violation of a Turkish-Russian deal on Syria which urges both sides be committed to the cessation of fire . The government has stopped plans for a major offensive to take back Idlib but the militants continued to shell some regions.
On the other side, the Russian Sputnik news agency on Friday reported that White Helmets, an aid group illegally entered Syria for what it called aid work, helped the militants transport poisonous materials from the city of Jisr al-Sheghour to the settlement of Khirbat Al Amud, both located in the terrorist-held Idlib.
The Russian and Syrian governments accuse the Western-sponsored White Helmets of aiding the terrorists. The group is active in militia-held areas.
In early September, Russia warned of “false-flag” chemical attack being prepared by the militants and the While Helmets to blame the Syrian government and prompt a Western military action.
US-led coalition attacks kill civilians
The Syrian envoy, talking during a Security Council session held on Syria, lashed out at the US and its Western allies for their recent air raids in eastern Deir ez-Zor that killed at least 62 civilians. The coalition said it was targeting ISIS terrorists in the area. This is not the first time US airstrikes take the lives of civilians. The US intervened in Syria, along with Western allies in 2014 without Syrian or UN authorization.
Jaafari told the UNSC members that Damascus sent a letter to the Security Council informing it of “horrific crimes” committed by the “illegal” coalition against the Syrian civilians. “It targets everything but the terrorist factions,” he asserted, referring to the alliance.
