Several hundreds of members of the Islamic State terror group (IS, banned in Russia) have gone free since the beginning of Turkey's offensive in Syria's north, which causes concern as they may contribute to restoring the IS' combat potential, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in an interview with Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2019) Several hundreds of members of the Islamic State terror group (IS, banned in Russia) have gone free since the beginning of Turkey's offensive in Syria's north, which causes concern as they may contribute to restoring the IS' combat potential, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in an interview with Sputnik.
"We do not yet have exact data about the number of terrorists who have possibly gone free ... Meanwhile, according to the existing information, this is about several hundreds IS members who have fled detention centers," Syromolotov said.
Russia is "significantly concerned" over the matter, mostly due to the fact that the "freed IS militants may contribute to restoring the fighting potential of the terror organization," the deputy foreign minister added.
"All this has basically become possible due to general escalation of tensions in Euphrates east bank area and due to illegal foreign military presence in Syria. Fomenting of ethno-confessional differences has become one of the reasons behind destabilization," Syromolotov explained.
He noted that it was necessary to "prevent resumption of active fighting in the region" and also to "contribute to restoring Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" to neutralize the threat of increasing IS' potential.
"This is what the Russian-Turkish memorandum, signed on October 22 this year and being implemented consistently, is aimed at," Syromolotov concluded.
Turkey launched its offensive in northeastern Syria, targeting Kurdish militia, seen as terrorists by Ankara, and the IS, on October 9.
The memorandum, which Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed in Sochi, details the conditions for the Kurdish forces' withdrawal to a distance of 18.6 miles from the border with Turkey and also envisions joint patrols that ensure the implementation of the deal.
