The presence of US forces in Syria is only worsening the criminal situation in the country and disrupts peace efforts, the head of Russian national center for defense coordination, Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2019) The presence of US forces in Syria is only worsening the criminal situation in the country and disrupts peace efforts, the head of Russian national center for defense coordination, Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, said on Wednesday."We believe that the illegal presence of the United States and its allies in Syria is only worsening the crime rate and disrupts the restoring of peace in the country. The region's stabilization is possible only after a full withdrawal of the United States' contingent of troops with occupied territories returned under the control of Syria's legitimate government," Mizintsev said at an urgent meeting of Russian-Syrian inter-agency offices on the resettlement of refugees from the Rukban camp, located in the US-controlled zone in southeast Syria.
During the summit of Syrian ceasefire guarantor states � Russia, Turkey, and Iran � in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was expecting a decision from US leader Donald Trump to withdraw his country's troops from Syria.
The exit plans were mentioned by Trump in December 2018, however, no details or dates have been announced since then.
"The United States and its allies are indifferent to the fate of ordinary Syrians. The US side needs tension pockets in Syria to justify its illegal presence on the territory of a sovereign state and satisfy its geopolitical ambitions by all means. Everywhere, where there is US presence, there are famine, epidemics and crimes," the military official added.
According to Mizintsev, the US destructive influence could be seen in the situation around Al Hawl refugee camp, which is also located on US-occupied territory.
"So far we have not seen from the US side any constructive steps to dissolve this hotbed of extremism, where the humanitarian situation is far worse than in Rukban," Mizintsev stresed.
The official also paid attention to the city of Raqqah, which was razed to the ground by the US-led coalition's airstrikes.
"No repair works were launched, no mine clearing was initiated since then," Mizintsev stressed, adding that local residents and children get regularly injured because of explosive devices.
The United States and its allies have been present in Syria since 2014, with the proclaimed goal of the mission being to fight the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, outlawed in Russia). However, the US coalition has also been attacking military sites that belong to the Syrian government and supporting armed opposition groups.
The Rukban camp houses some 25,000 people in conditions described by the World Health Organization as "deplorable" lacking food, access to medical care and basic amenities. The camp is located in the US-controlled zone around its unauthorized military base at At-Tanf, making it hard for humanitarian workers to access the area.
The Al Hawl camp is located in northeastern Syria. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, over 68,000 people are residing in the camp with 80 percent of them being foreign nationals from over 70 countries.
Raqqa fell into the hands of the Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and was then captured by the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia), which proclaimed the city its de facto capital. In 2016, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the US-led coalition launched a campaign to win the city back from terrorists. The operation culminated in the 2017 Battle of Raqqa, which eventually allowed the SDF to gain control over the city.
