‘ANY military interference in Syria conducted under far-fetched or fabricated pretexts’ would be ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and could lead to ‘dire consequences,’ warned Russia yesterday. Moscow was responding to threats from the US President Trump that Russia will play ‘a big price’ for the fabricated ‘chemical attack’ in Douma.
Russia slammed the reports as ‘baseless speculation’ and ‘fake news’ put out by those supporting terrorist groups operating there.The Russian Foreign Ministry said the reports were another example of a ‘continuous series of fake news about the use of chlorine and other chemical agents by the government forces.’
The ministry pointed out that the source of the reports was the notorious ‘civil defence’ group, the White Helmets, which has been repeatedly accused of having ties to terrorists, as well as other groups based in the US and UK.
Russia had warned about a false-flag chemical attack being prepared over recent months, the ministry said. Those who are not interested in a genuine political settlement of the Syrian crisis are seeking to complicate the situation on the ground, it added. ‘The goal of this . . . baseless speculation is to shield the terrorists and . . . the radical opposition that refuse to engage in a political settlement process, as well as to justify potential military strikes from the outside,’ the statement said.
Meanwhile, the first batch of the abductees held by ‘Jaish al-Islam’ terrorists in Douma were liberated in implementation of the reached agreement which stipulates for liberating all the abductees in Douma and transporting all the terrorists and their families to Jarablos.
At about 11pm on Sunday a bus with scores of abductees on board, mostly children and women, got out of Douma City through al-Wafedeen corridor before heading for al-Faihaa hall in Damascus City where it was awaited by thousands of citizens. Most of the liberated abductees were kidnapped by terrorist organisations from Adraa City on December 2013 when they broke into the city and committed massacres in it and took the abductees to Douma city. The correspondent added that five buses carrying scores of ‘Jaish al-Islam’ terrorists on board and their families exited the city in a step towards transporting them later to Jarablos area.
Meanwhile yesterday, PM May speaking in Denmark said: ‘The UK utterly condemns the use of chemical weapons in any circumstances and we must urgently establish what happened on Saturday . . . If they are found to be responsible the regime and its backers including Russia must be held to account.’
She admitted: ‘Our armed forced are also taking on Deash in Iraq and Syria’, but ignored a question as to whether there would be a vote in parliament before any further British military intervention is undertaken. In the US, General Mattis, the Secretary for Defence refused to rule out air strikes against the Assad government.
