Russia supports Assad troops and rebels for fighting against ISIS and it will continue to provide assistance to the rebels as long as they are batting the extremist group. The above statement was given by the president of Russia Vladimir Putin while talking to Germany’s Bild. This effectively laid rest to the allegations that Moscow was only supporting the regime despite its claims of fighting IS.
Putin reiterated in a recent interview with the newspaper that Russia supports Assad troops and rebels for fighting against ISIS. He further stated that some of the rebel groups publicly acknowledge Russian support while others prefer to keep silent about it but the assistance is surely there.
According to the Russian president, there are hundreds of thousands of fighters who are engaged in battling ISIS.
Putin said that Russia supports Assad troops and rebels for fighting against ISIS by coordinating joint operations. Airstrikes are also used for providing air cover to the fighters in the front lines.
Western news channels have been criticizing the Russians over their bombing campaigns in Syria. They claim that the Russian airstrikes are only assisting Assad’s forces and their main targets are the rebels opposed to the regime rather than the ISIS.
Putin was rather harsh with those who were engaged in this criticism. He categorically stated that it was a stark lie designed and distributed to malign his country since Russia supports Assad troops and rebels for fighting against ISIS and there is credible proof on the ground supporting this claim. However, the Western media deliberately ignores this proof.
Putin said that there are videos that support his claim. These videos can be very easily corroborated. Putin also mentioned the American airstrike in Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of around 20 innocent people in Kunduz. He said that he had no doubt that it was a mistake but the Western media hushed this news up. However, the bogus evidence of Russian pilots hitting civilians keeps making the rounds.
Putin explained his country’s objectives in Syria by reiterating his commitment to avoid a total power vacuum within Syria which, in his words, will destroy the country. He cited the example of post-war Libya in order to make his point.
