Alwaght- Russia has condemned a US-led coalition strike on a pro-government convoy in Syria, terming it unacceptable and violates the sovereignty of the country.
In a statement on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said, “Any military actions leading to the aggravation of the situation in Syria definitely affect the political process. Especially if such actions are committed against the Syrian armed forces… This is totally unacceptable; it is a violation of Syrian sovereignty. Of course, it does not help the political process.”
Syrian news agency quoted a military source confirming that the so-called international coalition attacked one of the Syrian army’s military points on al-Tanf road in the Syrian Badia.
The attack, which took place at 16:30 pm on Thursday, left a number of people dead, in addition to causing material damage, the source said.
The source described the attack as “blatant”, saying it uncovers the fake claims of the international coalition about fighting terrorism and reveals the undoubted reality of the Zionist-US project in the region.
“The attempt to justify this act of aggression by saying that the targeted forces failed to respond to the warning to stop advancing is completely rejected,” the source stressed.
“The Syrian Arab Army,” the source said, “is fighting terrorism on its territory, and no party whatsoever has the right to determine the course and destination of the army’s operations against the terrorist organizations, mainly ISIS and al-Qaeda.”
The source added that “those who claim to be fighting [those two terrorist organizations] should direct strikes against them and not against the Syrian Arab Army, which is the only legitimate force that is fighting terrorism along with its allies and friends.”
The source asserted that the army will continue performing its duty of fighting ISIS and al-Nusra Front and defending its entire territory, and will not be discouraged from doing this “sacred” duty by these attempts of the so-called international coalition.
Senior Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev also condemned the strike, questioning whether it was a deliberate attack.
“You cannot consider the US-led coalition airstrike against pro-government forces on Thursday an accident or a mistake anymore. This is a deliberate action and its consequences are yet to be estimated,” Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page.
“This is not only an attack in Syria and against Syria, but also against Geneva [negotiations]. The US is irritated that the Geneva process is not under its control and, what is worse, it can be successful.”
The sixth round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva which started on Tuesday was “short, but productive,” Gatilov said. He also noted that UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura wanted the experts’ meetings to continue beyond the negotiations.
