The President of the Syrian Coalition, Abdurrahman Mustafa, said that Russia bears primary responsibility for the tragedy unfolding in the ‘de-escalation zone’ in northwestern Syria. He stressed that the repeated shelling of Turkish observation points could not happen without a green light from Moscow.
“The Assad regime is merely implementing orders for the recent military escalation,” Mustafa said on Monday, adding that the ongoing bombing campaign in northwestern Syria put the lives of nearly four million civilians cramped along the Turkish border at huge risk.”
Mustafa went on to say that the objectives of the recent military operations “have long been exposed as the Russian role is abundantly evident following the shelling that targeted the Turkish observation points.” He pointed out that the targeting of these points indicated attempts to put pressure on Ankara and sabotage the Idlib agreement which was meant to pave the way for a nationwide ceasefire and the resumption of a genuine UN-led political process.
Mustafa noted that the Assad regime and allies’ ongoing military operations in northwestern Syria have so far killed hundreds of civilians and wounded thousands more as well as forced hundreds of thousands to relatively safer areas near the border with Turkey.
Moreover, President Mustafa stressed that Russia violated its role in the UN Security Council as it is aiding and abetting the Assad regime’s war crimes as well as shielding it at the UN Security Council through the repeated use of its veto power, which threatens international peace and security. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
