UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th February, 2020) US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft said at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria's Idlib that Russia should immediately ground its warplanes in Syria.
"In the days ahead, the United States' commitment to our NATO ally, Turkey, will not waver. Turkey has our full support to respond in self-defense to unjustified attacks on Turkish observation posts that resulted in the deaths of their own forces," Craft said.
"We call for the Russian Federation to immediately ground its warplanes. And we call for all Syrian forces and their Russian backers to withdraw to the ceasefire lines first established in 2018," she said.
The situation in Idlib escalated after on February 27 Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (banned in Russia) terrorists launched a large-scale attack on the positions of the Syrian government forces. The Syrian army opened return fire. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Turkish soldiers, who should not have been there, came under fire too.
As a result, 33 Turkish servicemen were killed, more than 30 people were injured. Immediately after receiving information about the injured Turkish soldiers, the Russian side took measures for a complete cessation of fire by the Syrian troops, and the safe evacuation of dead and wounded Turkish servicemen to Turkey was ensured. The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian combat jets had not been used in the area.
