Stockpiles of surrendered Western arms in Syria a sign of 'gross interference' - Russia
The Western-made weapons surrendered by armed groups in Deraa are “material evidence of gross interference” in Syria, according to Russian Foreign ministry. The Syrian province was under militant control for years.
"Enormous number of Western-produced modern weapons and equipment was handed over by reconciled militants to the Syrian army," spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, during her weekly news briefing on Thursday. "Different antitank missile systems, armored vehicles and small arms represent material evidence of gross interference in Syria.”
The reconciliation deal with militant forces, brokered by Russian military, and the advances of the Syrian army allowed to "almost completely" liberate the embattled southwestern Deraa province. Syrian forces regained control over the border with Jordan and the operation against remaining terrorists was carried out with minimal casualties, Zakharova stressed.
Syrians in towns across the province were celebrating the liberation on Thursday. In a significant move, the Syrian Arab Army raised the national flag in al-Balad district of Deraa, the capital city of the province, where anti-government protests started seven years ago.
Syrian flags were also waving in the wind in the city of Tafas, some 13 kilometers from Deraa. "Life is coming back to the city," Governor Muhammed Hallid Hanus said commenting on the celebrations, Ria Novosti reported.
The US supplied anti-government groups in Syria with weapons and ammunition to fight the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) before US President Trump ended the aid program in 2017. However, weapons deliveries did not always go according to plan as they fell into terrorists’ hands, including Al-Nusra.
Back in 2016, the Al-Nusra commander revealed that the US armed the group via third parties, including with TOW rockets that helped the terrorists to win battles against Syrian government troops.
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