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Russia accuses US of supporting jihadist groups in Syria

WASHINGTON has been accused of supporting jihadist groups in Syria’s Idlib and Hasakah provinces and enhancing their capabilities as it continues to seek regime change.

The Russian mission to the United Nations made the claims on Wednesday adding its voice to growing calls for the US occupying forces to leave Syria immediately.

“Under the pretext of helping the Syrians who are forcibly detained by the terrorists of [Hayat Tahrir al-Sham] in Idlib as human shields, American diplomacy supports these terrorists at the expense of American taxpayers… 

“The United States also spares no effort to beautify the image of the beheaders in Idlib and present them as an alternative to the legitimate government in Damascus,” it said in a statement.

Idlib remains the final stronghold for the myriad of jihadist groups that were funded and trained by the United States under the $1 billion Operation Timber Sycamore programme.

Now under the control of Turkey, the Syrian Democratic Forces claimed that the recent attack on a Hasakah prison by Isis cells was planned six months in advance from the province.

Turkey has been accused of masterminding the plot which saw more than 200 jihadists attempt to spring more than 3,000 Isis detainees as part of broader plans to revive the death cult.

Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations Bassam Sabbagh accused the US of “recycling Daesh terrorists” — using the Arab name for Isis — in Hasakah to justify its continued presence there amid growing international pressure for it to leave.

He criticised the governments of some countries for “not shouldering their responsibilities to return back their terrorist citizens and their families” who are being held in camps and detention centres in north-east Syria.

More than 10,000 prisoners from 57 countries are are believed to be held in such camps with Mr Sabbagh calling for countries to put them on trial and rehabilitate them in their own lands.

This call was echoed by the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) which called on the UN, Nato, the African Union and the European Union to facilitate the repatriation of their citizens or support the establishment of an international tribunal to try them for their crimes.

The Russians said the US — which occupies al-Tanf and part of north-east Syria — must “withdraw from the lands it occupies illegally and stop looting the country, from which it transfers tankers transporting oil that had been extracted from its lands."

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