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ISIS & Al-Nusra not in Damascus: Kremlin on major outcome of Russia’s campaign in Syria ISIS & Al-Nusra not in Damascus: Kremlin on major outcome of Russia’s campaign in Syria
(35 minutes later)
The main positive result of Russia’s operation in Syria is that Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front terrorists have been kept out of Damascus, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. The main "positive" result of Russia’s operation in Syria is that Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front terrorists have been kept out of Damascus, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
The main "positive" result of Russia's airstrikes on radical Islamists in Syria over the past year is that "neither Islamic State, nor Al-Qaeda nor the Nusra Front are now sitting in Damascus," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. Russian airstrikes on radical Islamists in Syria over the past year have ensured that "neither Islamic State, nor Al-Qaeda nor the Nusra Front are now sitting in Damascus," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
READ MORE: A year of Russian anti-ISIS ops in Syria: 5 key milestones
He noted, however, that assessing the success of the ongoing operation is the task of military experts.He noted, however, that assessing the success of the ongoing operation is the task of military experts.
Responding to a question on whether the Russian leadership anticipated that the operation in Syria would last more than a year, Peskov said that no time frame was outlined when the initial decision to send aircraft to Syria was made.Responding to a question on whether the Russian leadership anticipated that the operation in Syria would last more than a year, Peskov said that no time frame was outlined when the initial decision to send aircraft to Syria was made.
“At the same time, the main goal was declared to help Syrians and the Syrian Army in the fight against terrorists, who at the start of [our] operation occupied most of the country,” he pointed out.“At the same time, the main goal was declared to help Syrians and the Syrian Army in the fight against terrorists, who at the start of [our] operation occupied most of the country,” he pointed out.
Peskov also commented on the recent reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which earlier in the day said some 3,800 civilians had been killed as a result of Russian Air Force operations in the country.“We do not view the information about what is happening in Syria from an organization stationed in the United Kingdom as valid,” Peskov said.
Syria has been engulfed in civil war since 2011, with the government fighting a number of rebel groups in addition to radicals such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Al-Nusra Front (Jabhat Al-Nusra), recently ‘rebranded’ as Fatah al-Sham.
Russia began its anti-terrorism campaign in the Middle Eastern country following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad in September 2015. The operation was officially concluded in March. However, a part of the Russian forces remains in Syria to assist the country’s authorities with military and humanitarian tasks.