Militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (banned in the Russian Federation) are planning a provocation in the western Syrian province of Idlib on the eve of the presidential elections, Rear Admiral Alexander Karpov, deputy head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria (part of the Russian Defense Ministry), said.
"The Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the Warring Parties received information about the preparation by militants of the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of a provocation in the western part of Idlib province using poisonous substances," Karpov said during a briefing.
According to the deputy head of the center, the terrorists, accompanied by representatives of the pseudo-humanitarian organization White Helmets, delivered six containers of poisonous substances, presumably chlorine, to the area of Jisr al-Shughur settlement on May 23. "According to available information, the militants are planning to stage a chemical attack and its consequences in the form of victims and casualties among local residents on the eve of the Syrian presidential elections," Karpov said.
The deputy head of the center stressed that after the staging, the militants plan to accuse the Syrian government forces of using chemical weapons against civilians.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS