Fri Oct 21, 2016 14:41:19
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he thinks the West is trying to protect al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front terrorists and use them to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
Lavrov also said Friday that militants belonging to the group, which has recently changed its name to Fateh al-Sham Front, were refusing to leave the besieged city of Aleppo.
Western media frequently point to the change of the name, contending that the terrorist group had distanced itself from al-Qaeda.
The US has been refusing to separate terrorists from what it describes as "moderate" militants in Syria, leading to a standoff with Russia which wrecked a ceasefire agreement in Aleppo last month.
Lavrov further said Moscow is very concerned by reports that Turkey is bombing northern Syria.
Turkey sent tanks and troops to northern Syria in August, storming a major city after Takfiri terrorists left without resistance. Ankara is supporting the so-called Free Syrian Army militants who are a sworn enemy of the Syrian government.
Asked what Russia thought about a Syrian government threat to shoot down Turkish warplanes violating its air space, Lavrov said Syria is a sovereign nation.
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