UN Wants To Increase Presence In Syria When Conditions Permit - Spokesman

UN Wants to Increase Presence in Syria When Conditions Permit - Spokesman

The United Nations would like to boost its peacekeeping presence in Syria as the conditions on the ground improve, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2018) The United Nations would like to boost its peacekeeping presence in Syria as the conditions on the ground improve, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

"As the conditions on the ground [in Syria] permit, we would like to see our presence increase," the spokesman told reporters.

He added that the United Nations has seen the return of peacekeepers to their positions in Syria.

The spokesman said the UN condemns attacks in northern Syria which reportedly killed dozens of civilians, including children. The explosion at a weapons depot in the town of Sarmada killed at least 59 civilians, according to the United Nations.

Dujarric also warned that further military operations in Idlib would endanger 3 million civilians and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the province.

The Idlib province, which suffers from unstable security situation, is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of militants linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist group (banned in Russia) and led by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Nusra Front, outlawed in Russia).

The Syrian government has allowed radicals who surrendered in other parts of the country - including Aleppo, Homs and the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta - to flee to Idlib.

But the Syrian military recently expanded its military operations against the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham terror group, including in Idlib.

Syria has been torn by civil war since 2011, with the government fighting numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations. Russia is assisting the country in returning to peaceful life, being a guarantor of the ceasefire regime and having announced in late July the creation of a refugee center in Syria that will receive, relocate and accommodate civilians returning home.