Russia will continue the operation to search for fighters of the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in the Russian Federation) on the territory of Syria, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Thursday, speaking at a meeting of the world organization's Security Council.
"We are forced to state that what happened on US-occupied territory in Syria (the terrorist attack on the prison in the city of Al-Hasakah) is the result of our colleagues' continued overture with terrorist elements in Syria," Polyanskiy said. - "History teaches you nothing, and neither do your own mistakes. We have warned many times what pandering to terrorist elements can lead to. That is why the Syrian military forces, with the support of the Russian Air Force, continue to search for and eliminate fighters in Syria. This work will continue," he said.
"Many times we have offered you to join efforts, but as we have been repeatedly convinced, you put political considerations above the task of eradicating terrorism in Syria," the diplomat said.
On oil plundering
Areas of Syria where Americans are plundering oil are turning into an environmental disaster zone, Polyanskiy said.
"I would like to use the meeting to emphasize the pernicious situation that is generally developing in northeastern Syria, still illegally occupied by the United States. An environmental disaster is unfolding in areas where the US is blatantly stealing oil. At the same time, the UN does not give any assessment to what is happening," he stressed.
"We are forced to state that Trans-Euphrates is another gray spot on the map of Syria. As well as the area of Al-Tanf, where with the light hand of the US the fighters of Maghawir al-Saura feel their impunity and permissiveness," Polyanskiy noted.
According to him, the illegal presence of the US military on the territory of the Arab republic led to the creation of "lawless zones" in the north-east, "in which foreign terrorists and militants and all kinds of criminal elements operate with absolute impunity." "In these areas, powerlessness and violence reign. It is in such places that terrorists are divided by the masters of the situation into 'good' and 'bad,' receive a second life, certain indulgences, and actively radicalize the population," the diplomat said.
"Such an atmosphere is typical of all places where US military are stationed, both during their deployment and after their departure," the first deputy representative of the Russian Federation pointed out. - "The latest example is Afghanistan where people were left with a crippling burden of problems accumulated over many years of the American occupation".
On US airstrikes
Russia is extremely alarmed by possible indiscriminate strikes of the US Air Force on the territory of Syria, Polyanskiy noted.
"We are extremely alarmed by possible indiscriminate strikes by the US Air Force, after the activation of which mass casualties among the civilian population have already been reported more than once," he said.
"Just the other day, on January 25, at the open debate of the Security Council on the topic of protection of civilians, the speech of the US permanent representative made very correct theses: the absolute imperative of the parties to the armed conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, the growing importance of protecting civilians in urban warfare, the observation of how easily explosive munitions can kill large groups of civilians," Polyanskiy pointed out.
"What we see in reality is that the lofty rhetoric of the US has once again radically diverged from its own actions," he noted. - "For example, during the operation to clear ISIS (Islamic State, a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) fighters from the Al-Sina prison and its surroundings - the very combat operations in the city conditions - aviation and armored vehicles were used." According to the diplomat, such heavy weapons use explosive munitions.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: AP/TASS
Based on materials from TASS