Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Syria: airstrikes on positions of YOKES are inefficient

Air blows on positions of fighters of terrorist group «Islamic state» (YOKES) in Syria are inefficient, the deputy head declared SAR Ministry of Foreign Affairs Feysal Mekdad in Kyodo interview.

«(Airstrikes) were not effective, and with their help nothing managed to achieve», – he told. By its assessment, than YOKES «became stronger in Iraq and Syria in the conditions of fight of the USA against terrorism»? reports TASS.

At the same time, Mekdad noted that «Russia helps Syria and is the main source of arms for the Syrian army».

«The Russian military support helps our abilities which, in turn, will help the Syrian army to succeed in fight against terrorists», – he added. The deputy head of the Syrian foreign policy department also added that the Russian armies in Syria are not present.

On September 18 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of SAR Waleed Muallem declared in interview to the state television that Syria «will ask Russia to direct the armies to battle on the party of the Syrian army in case in it there will be a need». «Syria if it is required, without hesitation will address with such request to Russia», – head noted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, having emphasized thus that «at the moment the Russian armies in Syria are not present».

«From the very beginning of the conflict Russia helped us and was not late with it», – the Syrian minister told. He recognized that the firm position Russia more and more influences change of approaches to the Syrian crisis in the West.

«We will welcome any political settlement which will arrive through the Russian or Iranian door», – Muallem declared.

Wide expansion of the YOKES, grasped a considerable part of the territory of Iraq and Syria, became one of the main world problems of 2014. The group numbering, according to CIA, about 30 thousand fighters, proclaimed the caliphate in the grasped territories and aspires to expand the acquisitions.

«The Islamic state» began active operations in the north of Iraq at the beginning of summer of last year. Now paramilitary groups of YOKES supervise to a third of the Iraq territory, and in Anbar’s province – about 80 %.