The potential of terrorists in Syria has been significantly reduced thanks to the Russian and Syrian military, but the fight is complicated by attempts to frame some groups as the political opposition, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said on Thursday, speaking at a Security Council meeting.
"Thanks to the consistent efforts of the Russian and Syrian military in recent years, it has been possible to significantly weaken the potential of terrorist organizations operating in Syria, especially ISIS (the outdated name of the Islamic State terrorist organization banned in Russia)," he said. - "However, some terrorist cells are still active and still pose a serious threat".
According to the Russian permanent representative, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group formed on the basis of the Jabhat al-Nusra (both banned in the Russian Federation), remains the largest. "According to various estimates, its member's number is between 10,000 and 15,000. Attempts to present this terrorist organization as a kind of political opposition complicate the fight against it," he noted.
"Another terrorist organization that continues to create a threat in the region is the Khuras al-Din which is a "branch" of the Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia) in Syria," - noted Nebenzya. - According to various estimates, it numbers between 3,500 and 5,000 people, half of whom are foreign terrorist fighters".
Russia continues to provide the necessary assistance to the Syrian authorities in combating the terrorists, the ambassador stated.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS