West, Turkey Transferring Daesh, HTS Terrorists from Syria's Idlib to Ukraine: Syrian Envoy

Monday, 04 July 2022 5:48 PM

Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad (Photo by SANA)

Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad says Western countries and Turkey are transferring remnants of Daesh and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Takfiri terrorist groups from Syria’s northern province of Idlib to Ukraine to fight against Russian military forces.

"It is no surprise that the United States, Western countries and Turkey have transferred members of Daesh and HTS terrorist groups from Idlib to Ukraine,” Haddad told Russia’s TASS news agency in an exclusive interview published on Monday.

He added that such Takfiri groups, irrespective of their different names, are being exploited by the West to ruthlessly suppress peaceful peoples.

The Syrian ambassador further noted that Damascus fully supports Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

“I would like to stress that Syria completely supports Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which is aimed at protecting its national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity against mercenaries and neo-Nazis, who have been pouring into the Eastern European country from all corners of the world,” Haddad pointed out.

The Syrian diplomat added that Moscow is facing a slew of threats emanating from the West.

“One of those challenges is the deceptive and misleading media campaign, which seeks to falsify the truth and tarnish the country’s image,” he said.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service says the United States has been transferring Daesh terrorists from Syria to Ukraine.

“Secondly, there are mercenaries, who are fighting against Russia with the support of the United States and Western countries. These are the same mercenaries, who fought in Syria with the aim of demolishing its infrastructure and state institutions, and are now pushing other countries and their nations to capitulate to Western hegemony,” the Syrian ambassador said.

Haddad went on to point to the economic blockade and unjust sanctions, which Western countries have unilaterally slapped against Syria.

A senior US military official says Ukraine is using rocket systems to hit Russian command posts.

“Today, we see that Western countries have imposed the very same sanctions against Russia and its nation. Syria and Russia have joined forces to stand up against such insolence and the Western hegemony, led by the United States,” the Syrian ambassador said.

Russia launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, with the aim to “de-militarize” and to “de-Nazify” the neighboring country. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been exacerbated as the United States and its European allies have been sending a flood of advanced weapons to Kiev.

By obtaining more advanced weapons from the West, the Ukrainian government  aims to overpower the Russians and regain the Donbas. Donbas is composed of the two breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, where pro-Russian forces declared independence.