Tue Oct 20, 2015 17:34:40
Syria’s Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad says Syrian government forces are gearing up for a “decisive battle” to liberate the country’s second largest city of Aleppo from foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists.
“Half of the city remains in the hands of the terrorists, while the other half is under our control… Our troops, backed by the Russian air force, are encircling the city and preparing for a ground offensive. This is going to be a heavy fight because the terrorists are getting a lot of support from [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan,” Haddad said in an interview with the Russian-language news website Gazeta.ru, Sputnik reported.
‘Terrorists Laying Down Arms’
He also praised the ongoing Russian air campaign in Syria, stressing that the aerial assaults have destroyed a great number of strongholds and arms depots belonging to terror networks, and cut off the Takfiri militants’ supply routes.
“Another dramatic result [of the Russian airstrikes] is that many terrorists have laid down their arms and surrendered to the Syrian army, while many others retreated toward the Turkish border,” the Syrian ambassador said.
Haddad further noted that while Syrian authorities are in close contact with their Russian counterparts over the airstrikes against militant bases, there is no coordination between Damascus and the so-called US-led coalition.
Russia began its military campaign against terrorists in Syria on September 30 upon a request from the Damascus government, shortly after the upper house of the Russian parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the mandate to use military force in Syria.
The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman told reporters in Moscow on Monday that Russia’s warplanes have destroyed 49 positions of the Takfiri Daesh militants in Syria’s provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Hama, Idlib and Latakia over the previous 24 hours alone; Press TV reported.
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