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US 'protecting' jihadist group - Russia US 'protecting Syria jihadist group' - Russia's Lavrov
(35 minutes later)
US trying to spare jihadist group in case it's needed to unseat Syrian president, Russian foreign minister tells BBC The US is trying to spare a jihadist group in its attempts to unseat Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's foreign minister has told the BBC.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Sergei Lavrov said the US had broken its promise to separate the powerful Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) and other extremist groups from US-backed moderate rebels.
If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. "They still are not able or willing to do this," he said.
"We believe the plan was to spare Nusra."
He added: "They [have] never touched Nusra anywhere in Syria."
Mr Lavrov was speaking to Stephen Sackur on BBC World News TV on the first anniversary of the beginning of the Russian air campaign in Syria.
He defended the Russian bombardment of the besieged city of Aleppo by Russian and Syrian government forces.
How Moscow’s Syria campaign has paid off for Putin
The United Nations says 400 civilians, including many children, have been killed in the city during the past week.
Mr Lavrov insisted Russia was helping President Assad's forces to "fight terrorists".
And he accused the West of staying quiet about civilian suffering in Aleppo when it was expecting the city to fall to the rebels after the Nusra group moved in and cut supply lines to the civilian population.
Pressed on the civilian casualties in Aleppo allegedly caused by Russian bunker-busting bombs, phosphorus munitions and cluster bombs, he replied: "If this happens, then we are very sorry."
But he insisted there had been no "meaningful proof" and there was a need to investigate every case.
"We are not using any munition which is prohibited by the United Nations."