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Turkey looted all resources from Syria, Syrians deposit 1.2 billion liras in Turkey’s banks in 2016

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AFP photo

AFP photo

Turkey looted all resources from Syria, from factories to money Syrians deposit 1.2 billion liras in Turkey’s banks in 2016

Syrians have deposited around 1.2 billion Turkish Liras ($409 million) in Turkish banks so far this year, the country’s official banking regulation authority said on June 14.

According to the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK), Syrians deposited 1,199,632,000 liras in Turkish banks in the first quarter of the year.

As the number of Syrians living in Turkey increases, the amount of the money Syrians deposit in Turkish banks is also increasing, the BDDK stated.

In 2012, assets of Syrians in Turkish banks totaled 311.2 million liras. In 2013 it had risen to 694.3 million liras, in 2014 to 733.8 million liras, and in 2015 to 1.2 billion liras.

Islam Memiş a financial analyst at Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, said rich Syrians had converted considerable amounts of their cash to U.S. dollars due to the loss in value of the Syrian lira.

“Rich Syrians have converted their cash money to dollars [and] invested in either real estate or the food sector. You can now see restaurants and kiosks with Arabic name plates everywhere in Turkey,” Memiş added.

June/15/2016

European migrant crisis: Shipwrecks ‘kill up to 700 migrants’

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mgr.thumbUp to 700 migrants are feared drowned in a series of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya in the last few days,  the BBC reports quoting the UN refugee agency as saying.

The boats sank south of Italy on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as the migrants tried to reach Europe in unseaworthy vessels.

Spring weather has led to a surge of people attempting the perilous crossing from Africa to Europe.

It is now a key migration route since a deal curbed numbers sailing to Greece.

Carlotta Sami, spokeswoman for UNHCR, gave details of the shipwrecks:

Almost 100 migrants are missing from a smugglers’ boat which capsized on Wednesday. Horrifying pictures of the incident and its aftermath were filmed by rescuers.

About 550 other migrants are missing from a boat which overturned on Thursday morning after leaving the
Libyan port of Sabratha on Wednesday. Survivors said the boat had no engine and was being towed by a second smuggling vessel.

In a third shipwreck on Friday, 135 people were rescued, 45 bodies pulled from the water and an unspecified number of others are missing.

Meanwhile, the MSF Sea group suggested the death toll from the last week could be as high as 900.
Survivors are being taken to the Italian ports of Taranto and Pozzallo.

Meanwhile, the Italian authorities have said the rescue of more than 600 migrants off Libya on Saturday by a flotilla of EU ships took the weekly total to at least 13,000.

The rescues were the latest by a multinational patrol of ships operating in the Mediterranean.

Turkey is accused of sending ‘seriously sick’ Syrian migrants to Greece while ‘cherry-picking’ doctors and engineers for its own workforce

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Volunteers walk on a pile of lifejackets left behind by refugees and migrants who arrived to the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey last year Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3606168/Turkey-deliberately-selecting-uneducated-sick-Syrians-Europe-cherry-picking-wants-keep.html#ixzz49l6Udxnw Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Imagine the billions Turkey made from making these lifejeckets Volunteers walk on a pile of lifejackets left behind by refugees and migrants who arrived to the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey last year

BY Josie Ensor, istanbul Justin Huggler, berlin

The EU’s controversial migrant deal with Turkey looked in renewed doubt on Monday amid accusations that Turkey is “cherry-picking” skilled Syrian refugees while sending the “sick and illiterate” to Europe.

A Turkish government official told the Daily Telegraph they had the ‘right’ to choose who stays in Turkey.

Angela Merkel held talks with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, in Istanbul today in a bid to shore up the deal, which she personally negotiated.

But she was unable to quell growing concern across the EU at Mr Erdogan’s handling of the deal.

Mrs Merkel admitted agreement on visa-free travel to Europe for Turkish citizens, a key part of the deal, was in jeopardy.

And she expressed “deep concern” over moves by Mr Erdogan’s government to strip MPs of immunity from prosecution in a crackdown on the opposition.

The talks took place amid accusations by EU officials that Turkey is using the deal to send ill and unqualified Syrian refugees to Europe while blocking the exit applications of skilled professionals.

Under the deal agreed in March, the EU will resettle one Syrian refugee from Turkey in exchange for each Syrian deported from Greece.

At an internal EU meeting in Brussels last week, a representative of Luxembourg claimed Turkey was sending “serious medical cases” and blocking those more likely to integrate into European societies.

The UN refugee agency usually decides who is eligible for resettlement, but the Turkish authorities have reportedly excluded Syrian doctors, engineers and academics from the scheme.

A Turkish government official told the Telegraph it was the country’s “right” to choose who remains, as it is hosting more than three million Syrian refugees.

So far some 400 asylum-seekers have been returned to Turkey and 177 refugees resettled in Europe, but 8,500 asylum-seekers still in Greece are believed to be covered by the deal.

The latest row will only make it harder for Mrs Merkel to defend the deal, under which Turkey is supposed to get visa-free travel and billions in aid in return for stopping the migrants.

The German chancellor has come under fire for putting the security of Europe’s borders in the hands of Mr Erdogan’s repressive regime.

“I’ve made clear in the conversation today that I think we need an independent judicial system, we need independent media and we need a strong parliament in Turkey,” Mrs Merkel said after her talks with Mr Erdogan on Monday.

“And of course, the decision to withdraw immunity from every fourth lawmaker in the Turkish parliament is something that causes deep concern. I’ve made this clear to the Turkish president.”

She admitted agreement on visa-free travel by the original deadline of July 1 was unlikely, and insisted Turkey will have to meet all of the EU’s criteria, including reform of anti-terror laws.

“We must do everything that we can to continue discussions, as it is unlikely that by July 1 certain things will be in place,” she said.

“In other words, there will be no visa exemption if the criteria are not fulfilled.”

Other EU leaders have gone much further in their criticism. Martin Schulz, the president of the European parliament, described the decision to strip opposition MPs of immunity as a “stunning rejection of the values of Europe”.

Mr Erdogan’s policies “don’t just make negotiations on Turkish EU membership difficult, they make it virtually impossible,” Mr Schulz said.

Mrs Merkel is also facing political pressure at home, with her coalition government deeply divided over the deal.

Horst Seehofer, the state prime minister of Bavaria and chief critic of her “open-door” refugee policy, spoke out against the deal, saying “The ends don’t justify the means”.

But Turkey is refusing to back down. Yigit Bulut, an adviser to Mr Erdogan, warned that if the EU failed to live up to its promises Turkey would suspend the deal. 

“Let them continue to apply double standards, let them continue not to keep their promises for Turkish citizens,” Mr Bulut said.

“But they should know that if they maintain this attitude Turkey will take some very radical decisions very soon.”

Mr Erdogan said yesterday Turkey has not received enough support from the international community in tackling the Syrian refugee crisis.

“The current system falls short… the burden is shouldered only by certain countries, everyone should assume responsibility from now on,” he said.

Istanbul is currently hosting the world’s first-ever global humanitarian summit, where politicians from 175 countries have gathered to come up with a way to deal with what is the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War.

 

Analysis: The role of Armenia in the Syrian refugee crisis

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Syrian refugees Photo Credit: Kurdnas

Syrian refugees Photo Credit: Kurdnas

May 22, 2016, 8:00Pm

By Rachel Avraham

While many countries are now seeking quotas limiting Syrian immigration, Armenia has accepted numerous Syrian Armenian, Yazidi and Assyrian refugees even though they have a 17% unemployment rate and are a small country the size of the State of Maryland that is currently embroiled in a political conflict with Azerbaijan. For these refugees, despite the difficulties associated with living in Armenia, it is still better than Syria.

A recent report published by Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently highlighted that out of the 80,000 Armenians who used to live in Syria prior to the Civil War, since 2011, over 17,000 Syrians of Armenian heritage have decided to move to Armenia, where 80 percent of them have decided to remain: “Ethnic Armenians fleeing Syria are finding safe routes to their ancestral homeland, where they are welcomed, resettled and provided citizenship within a few months.”

Like the State of Israel, Armenia offers a right of return to all ethnic Armenians which seek to return to the land of their ancestors via a simplified procedure. “Armenia is home to all people of Armenian background,” said civic activist Ara Sisserian, who lives in Armenian capital city of Yerevan and advocates for newcomers from Syria. “Those Armenians coming from Syria come here because they consider this as their motherland.”

According to the Economist, Armenia, a small country the size of the State of Maryland, has accepted the third largest proportion of Syrian refugees relative to its general population. According to the Huffington Post, while most of the Syrian refugees fleeing to Armenia are Armenians, also Assyrians and Yazidis have been welcomed into the country. Anahit Khosroeva, an Assyrian community activist, leading researcher at the Institute of History and former professor of Chicago University, stated: “We were told by the migration service authorities that the Assyrians would be helped and protected in Armenia just like the Syrian Armenian refugees.”

The report stresses that the Armenian government has been providing the Syrian refugees with free health insurance, scholarships, and has been helping refugees to establish start-ups in a special program in cooperation with UNHCR. They also have an adopt-a-family program, where Syrian refugees are matched with an Armenian host family who helps them integrate into Armenia. As a result, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has thanked Armenia for their efforts.  But to date, Armenia has not been receiving the foreign assistance that Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan have. Given that 17% of Armenians are unemployed and the country is presently engaged in a political conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region that has escalated in recent times, the lack of foreign assistance presents complications for the Armenian authorities in absorbing the refugees. Nevertheless, the Armenian authorities seem determined to continue assisting Syrian refugees at a time when many places are closing their doors to them.

According to Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, Armenians have a long history of living in Syria but since the civil war has broken out, the Armenian community has faced religious and social persecution. When it comes to ISIS, the Armenian community is facing genocide just like the Yazidis are. “The Armenian population has dramatically dropped,” Reverend Haroutioun Selimian, head of a relief organization for Syrian Armenians in Aleppo, told VOA. “Their rights are being violated and their lives are at risk… Ninety Armenian churches are completely or partially destroyed.”

A report from Christian Today earlier this month highlighted that ISIS has been torching Christian homes, raping and torturing Christian girls, and slaughtering them while leaving their disfigured body parts in plastic bags for their relatives to discover. Other Christians have been forced to convert to Islam, beheaded, crucified and deported. The more fortunate ones are forced to wear Islamic dress and pay the Jizya tax while their land is confiscated and the people are utilized as human shields in order to protect ISIS terrorists from the International Coalition against ISIS. According to the US Congress and US Secretary of State John Kerry, these actions constitute genocide. 

According to the Armenian National Committee of America: “ANCA welcomes the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s passage of H.Con.Res.75 as an important step in elevating our government’s response to genocide from a political choice to a moral imperative.  We cannot continue to treat the recognition of genocide as a geopolitical commodity, to be bartered or bargained away. Our stand against genocide must be unconditional.”

Given these conditions, many Syrian Armenians are desperately seeking to reach Armenia. During the beginning of the Civil War, there were direct flights between Aleppo and Yerevan but those have since been cut off. Now, Armenians are forced to utilize under-ground smuggling networks to Lebanon and from there, they can fly to Armenia.

One of the Syrian Armenians who has recently settled in Yerevan is Adriana: “Contrary to our advice from our local Armenian leaders asking us to stay, my husband and I lost our patience and fled Aleppo in December. We drove our car all the way to the border. With the help of an underground Armenian escape network, we managed to cross the border. After spending almost three months in Lebanon, we flew to Armenia.”   According to her, she finally feels safe for when she was leaving Syria, ISIS was approaching their neighborhood. For Armenians like Adriana and her husband, despite the difficulties associated with living in Armenia, it is still significantly better than Syria and many other Middle Eastern countries.   

Female Turkish journo loses custody of children after leaking video from Syria arms smuggling trial

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Arzu Yıldız © Twitter

Journalist Arzu Yildiz was sentenced to 20 months in jail and lost her parental rights after exposing a video related to a weapons-smuggling scandal denied by the Turkish government, in what her lawyer said was “an act of revenge” by Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Nobody can take my children away from me… not even the Sultan himself, let alone the court,” Yildiz told Can Erzincan TV, outside the court in the southern city of Mersin.

The journalist’s sentence is related to a 2014 incident in which prosecutors uncovered trucks belonging to MIT, Turkey’s national security agency, smuggling weapons for rebels across the border to Syria. President Erdogan has insisted that the vehicles were carrying humanitarian aid and accused the prosecutors of “treason and espionage,” as well as of being agents of his US-based nemesis Fethullah Gulen.

The prosecutors were arrested and put on trial before a closed court, before being sentenced to prison terms. Yildiz obtained video of the proceedings, however, and posted the prosecutors’ testimonies, which contradicted the government’s claims, on YouTube. She was later charged with breaching court confidentiality.

She has insisted throughout that she was not the only one to publish the videos and objects to the jailing of the prosecutors.

“I thank everyone for their messages and support. I have no worries. I don’t care about whatever punishment they give me. I’m just doing my job,” Yildiz tweeted after Wednesday’s ruling.

While her two children will not be physically taken away, Yildiz will have no legal authority to make any decisions on their behalf for at least the next two years.

“This was an act of revenge,” her lawyer, Alpdeger Tanriverdi, told Reuters. “There are many cases in which the court does not execute this article of the penal code. They didn’t have to do it.”

source: RT

Syrian children as young as eight sexual harassment and rape at the hands of Turkish camp worker at Refugee Camp

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1039515897Children as young as eight living in the ‘Nizip’ refugee camp located in the Gaziantep province in Turkey were subjected to sexual harassment and rape at the hands of a Turkish camp worker. Sputnik’s correspondent got acquainted with some of the testimonies of these young victims.

According to information provided, about 30 Syrian boys aged 10 to 14 years experienced sexual violence and abuse for four months in the Nizip camp. Incidentally, it is the same Turkish asylum center which was hailed a huge success by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during her visit on April 23.

The news about the sexual abuse in this camp first appeared in the local newspaper BirGün.

In their testimonies, the children talk openly about the sexual harassment that they went through and in exchange for their silence they were offered money.

According to information received by Sputnik, only 8 out of 30 children who were sexually harassed by the 27-year-old Turk, a camp cleaner named E.E., told their parents about their sexual abuse.

Many of the affected children after being raped were in need of psychological support. As it turned out, some of them following the incident left the camp with their parents.

It is reported that the accused cleaner E.E abused children in the camp from June to September 2015. He was detained by law enforcement agencies back on September 5, but the blatant incident has become known to the public only now. The case has been transferred to the Criminal District Court of Nizip.

The detainee is currently in prison in Gaziantep and according to the Turkish law he could face up to 230 years in prison on charges of sexual harassment and numerous cases of raping of minors. In his testimony, the sexual offender, E.E, admitted to abusing the children, but he said that he did not know five out of the eight victims who filed a case against him.

Furthermore, he accused one of the child victims of inviting him to the restroom to join in sexual intercourse for money.

Meanwhile, in his testimony at the prosecutor’s office and in court the 12-year-old victim A.D. told a different story.

“He beckoned me and took me to the bathroom and offered me [$o.5o] to have sex with him. I refused. Then he hastily pulled my pants down and raped me. It wasn’t too painful. In several days, he called me over again but I ran away. However, the next day he grabbed me dragged me into the bathroom and did it all over again.”

Another victim, a 12-year-old M.H., described what he experienced. “During the month of Ramadan E.E. called me into the shower and said that he would give me 5 lira ($ 1.5) so I went after him. First he stroked me in different places, then he began to touch my genitals, but there was no rape. 15 days after Ramadan, he took me to an empty room in the camp and did the same thing.”

During a testimony another young boy, H.E., said that “E.E called him to the toilet and said that he wants to have some fun with me and promised to give me 10 lira ($ 3).”

“Then he said that he needs to bring something and left. At this point, I ran away. I went to my father and told him everything. Then we went with his father to the police station and told them about what had happened.”

The victim, M.I., recalling the incident said, “E.E. from time to time called me and my friends to the toilet. He offered me 5 lira for intimacy with him, but I refused and ran away. Later I told this to my uncle’s son H.E. and to the other guys. They confirmed that the same thing had happened to them as well.”

Source:sputniknews.com

Syrian rebels may have committed war crimes in Aleppo – Amnesty

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© Hosam Katan / Reuters

© Hosam Katan / Reuters

Syrian rebels may have committed war crimes in their bombardment of a Kurdish-controlled area of Aleppo, killing dozens of innocent civilians, according to Amnesty International.

The rights watchdog says it has collected eyewitness testimony and videos which suggest that at least 83 civilians – including 30 children – were killed in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo, a city split between government and rebel control. The killings reportedly took place between February and April.

“Armed groups surrounding the Sheikh Maqsoud district…have repeatedly carried out indiscriminate attacks that have struck civilian homes, streets, markets and mosques, killing and injuring civilians and displaying a shameful disregard for human life,” Amnesty said in a Friday statement.

The organization’s deputy Middle East director, Magdalena Mughrabi, said the attacks “may amount to war crimes,” Reuters reported.

“By firing imprecise explosive weapons into civilian neighborhoods the armed groups attacking Sheikh Maqsoud are flagrantly flouting the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets, a cardinal rule of international humanitarian law,” Mughrabi said.

The violence is part of intense fighting in the region between the Kurdish YPG militia – which is backed by the US in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) – and rebel groups, some of which are backed by foreign countries via Turkey.

The YPG and its allies have been battling insurgents, including some Islamist groups, in the northern Aleppo province for several months. Shellings of Sheikh Maqsoud, which has a large Kurdish population, have intensified since February.

Both sides have accused the other of killing civilians.

Rebels claim the YPG wants to take control of a road which provides access from Turkey to Aleppo’s rebel-held areas. They also say the YPG is working in cahoots with the Syrian government – a claim which the YPG denies.

The YPG currently holds and uninterrupted 400km (250 mile) stretch of territory along the Syria-Turkey border. Turkey, which is fighting Kurdish militants in a controversial operation in the country’s southeast, views any YPG expansion with concern.

But despite any disapproval from Turkey, the YPG has been praised for its efforts against IS militants in Syria. The militia has been the most effective partner on the ground in the US-led campaign against IS, seizing large areas from the group last year.

Armenian Assembly of America urges congress to direct $15mn in aid to Armenia for Syrian refugees

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defaultWASHINGTON, DC – Citing corrupt practices, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has suspended 14 entities and individuals involved with humanitarian aid programs operating from Turkey, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

“Given this latest development, the Assembly renews its call that $15 million be provided in refugee assistance and resettlement programs to help Syrians in Armenia,” stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. “We urge Armenian Americans to contact Congress and make their voices heard to help ensure relief aid reaches those in need,” added Ardouny.

“USAID OIG’s investigation has identified corrupt practices involving a number of these programs operating from Turkey,” according to a May 6 statement from USAID OIG. “The investigation to date has identified a network of commercial vendors, NGO employees, and others who have colluded to engage in bid-rigging and multiple bribery and kickback schemes related to contracts to deliver humanitarian aid in Syria.”

The Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) reported that Armenia “stands out as a rare example of integration” and refugees are “welcomed by ordinary people and supported by the Yerevan government.”

The Assembly urges the U.S. government to consider allocating at least $15 million in refugee assistance to Armenia

Turkey continues killing, beating Syrian refugees, Human Rights Watch

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6f7b67c6-bafc-438a-b5a4-a7a767c17cd2Human Rights Watch says Turkish border guards are continuing to shoot and beat Syrian refugees trying to cross into Turkey, calling on the country to investigate abuses.

Turkish border guards in March and April used excessive force against Syrians and a smuggler trying to reach Turkey, killing five people, including a child, and injuring 14 others, the group said on Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch, which interviewed victims, witnesses, and Syrian locals said eight of the injured refugees were shot while the other six were severely assaulted.

“While senior Turkish officials claim they are welcoming Syrian refugees with open borders and open arms, their border guards are killing and beating them,” said Gerry Simpson, a senior HRW refugee researcher.

“Firing at traumatized men, women, and children fleeing fighting and indiscriminate warfare is truly appalling,” Simpson added.

The rights group also urged Ankara to abide by international laws and stop attacking refugees or banning them from crossing the borders.

The New-York based watchdog also called on Turkish authorities to investigate the excessive use of force by the Turkish border guards.

Turkey has banned Syrians from crossing into the country since at least mid-August 2015.

The report said the Turkish border guards even fired at Syrians living near Turkey’s borders as they approached to recover victims at the border wall after the shootings and assaults.

Turkey and the European Union sealed a controversial deal intended to stem the flow of refugees from Syria and other troubled countries to Europe via Turkey in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara.

“The EU shouldn’t just stand by and watch as Turkey uses live ammunition and rifle butts to stem the refugee flow,” said Simpson.

“EU officials should recognize that their red light for refugees to enter the EU gives Turkey a green light to close its border, exacting a heavy price on war-ravaged asylum seekers with nowhere else to go,” he said.

Source: Presstv

Syrian Army Plans to Launch Offensive on Deir Ez-Zor, Raqqa

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1038446765The Syrian armed forces plan to retake the city of Raqqa from Daesh, and Russian aviation is expected to support the operation, according to Russia’s UN Office envoy.

GENEVA (Sputnik) – The Syrian army is planning to launch an offensive on Deir Ez-Zor and Raqqa with the support of the Russian air group deployed in Syria, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Alexei Borodavkin said.

“In line with UNSC [UN Security Council] Resolution 2254, the ceasefire regime in Syria does not apply to Daesh, al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups…As a result of operations by the Syrian armed forces with [the] support of Russian combat aircraft [the Syrian] city of Palmyra has been liberated, and now further offensive operations are being planned in the direction of Deir Ez-Zor and Raqqa,” Borodavkin told reporters in Geneva.

Syria Ceasefire Mostly Holding but Some Forces Attempt to Disrupt It

“There are forces that are deliberately provoking the failure of the cessation of hostilities. We are constantly talking about the need to block the Turkish-Syrian border through which terrorist group fighters flow and weapons, military equipment and ammunition are smuggled. It is necessary to firmly curb this flow in order to strengthen the ceasefire regime,” Borodavkin stressed.

According to the Russian envoy, the United States and Russia are making joint efforts to put an end to the Syrian conflict.

“We are well aware that there are opponents of the cessation of hostilities and they will do everything they can to disrupt this regime, which is what is happening now,” Borodavkin said, adding nonetheless that “in general, the regime is being adhered to.”

A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. The truce does not apply to terrorist groups such as Daesh and al-Nusra Front.

More Militant Groups Cut Ties With al-Nusra Front, Join Ceasefire

“The groups that want to join the cessation of hostilities must sign relevant documents, report their exact location and disengage from Nusra Front units because, at present, they are, unfortunately, heavily mixed on the battlefield,” Borodavkin told reporters.

According to Borodavkin, “certain progress” has been observed in the US work with illegal armed groups in Syria.

“Contacts and cooperation between Russian and US militaries have recently intensified. Phone conferences between Hmeymim [Russian air base in Syria], Amman, Moscow and Washington are regularly held. Our militaries are meeting at the negotiating table with maps and necessary intelligence data that help to prevent violations of the cessation of hostilities and strengthen it. I think that in the near future many issues will be resolved within this US-Russian military cooperation,” Borodavkin told journalists.

No Evidence Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar ash-Sham Join Truce

“We heard statements from these groups that they have allegedly joined the cessation of hostilities [in Syria] but we have no official confirmation [of these statements],” Borodavkin told journalists.

The envoy recalled that the leadership of Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham had repeatedly stated they were fighting “shoulder to shoulder” with al-Nusra Front militants and called on the jihadists to unite in their fight against government forces.

“If Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam are serious about finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria, they have to radically change their positions,” Borodavkin emphasized.

On Tuesday, Russia requested to add the two groups operating in Syria to the UN sanctions list that already contains Daesh. The Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) of the Syrian opposition includes representatives of both Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam.