Moscow “worried” about US shielding Nusra terrorists in Syria, – Lavrov

YemenExtra

M.A.

Russia is not getting clear responses from the United States why Jabhat al-Nusra [now – Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, NB] terrorists are systematically shielded from strikes of the international coalition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated to reporters on Friday.

“The US-led coalition is behaving the same way it did under President (Barack) Obama’s administration – they are doing everything to shield Jabhat al-Nusra from strikes,” Lavrov confirmed. “This is a very alarming issue. We often ask about this during our contacts with American partners, and we don’t get any clear answers, but would like to have them.”

Russia’s top diplomat pointed out that the situation around Jabhat al-Nusra remains “an enigma.”

As a branch of al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra has been included in the list of terrorism of the UN Security Council, the US and many other Western countries, and also Russia, he noted. “In fact, we see the fight against the Islamic State but we don’t notice any fight against Jabhat al-Nusra and its structures, which have mixed up with it.”.