Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari has accused Turkey of supporting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (banned in Russia) and other terrorist groups in Syria's militant-held Idlib
NUR-SULTAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2019) - Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari has accused Turkey of supporting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (banned in Russia) and other terrorist groups in Syria's militant-held Idlib."Who is behind Tahrir al-Sham and others? These are the Turkish intelligence services and the Turkish authorities who stand behind these groups in Idlib," Jaafari said at a press conference after the Astana-12 meeting on Syria in Nur-Sultan.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants are trying to remold the group to look like moderate opposition in the de-escalation zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.
The Idlib province is the last major stronghold of terrorists and armed rebels in Syria. In September 2018, ceasefire guarantors Russia and Turkey agreed to set up in Idlib a 9-12 mile deep demilitarized zone, which would be cleared of heavy weapons and militants. However, despite progress in the withdrawal of weapons and fighters from the area, remaining militants regularly commit ceasefire violations by shelling nearby provinces.
