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Russia's Putin reaffirms support for Syria in fight against terrorism

Monday, 23 May 2016 3:42 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 23 May 2016 4:50 PM ]

Russian President Vladimir Putin (AFP photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has renewed his pledge to assist the Damascus government in battling Takfiri terrorists, after multiple bombings killed over 140 people across the coastal Syrian cities of Tartus and Jablah.

In a condolence message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday, Putin said the latest terrorist attacks exposed the barbaric nature of foreign-backed militant groups operating in the Arab country.

"The Russian head of state underscored that this tragedy has become a new sign of the barbarian and inhuman essence of terrorist groups who have triggered off a bloody war against the Syrian people,” the Kremlin press service reported.

The Russian president also “reaffirmed his willingness to continue working together with Syrian partners in opposing the terrorist threat and expressed his confidence that the criminals who have stained their hands with the blood of innocent victims will not escape retribution."

Seven bomb explosions rocked the two normally quiet Syrian coastal cities on Monday, claiming the lives of more than 140 people.

Syrians gather at the site of multiple bombings that left scores of people dead in the northern coastal city of Jablah, between Latakia and Tartus, on May 23, 2016. (AFP photo)

One of the explosions reportedly occurred near a hospital when a bomber detonated his explosive vest.

Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bombings. The Takfiri group, which is controlling parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq, has repeatedly targeted civilian structures like hospitals and schools.

Rights groups have documented numerous cases of such bombings and attacks over the past months. Physicians for Human Rights said in a recent research that militants had carried out about a dozen attacks on medical facilities, with Daesh being responsible for at least eight of them in which more than a dozen medical staff had been killed.

Since September 30, 2015, Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria at the Syrian government’s request.

The strikes have killed hundreds of Daesh terrorists and other foreign-backed militants and inflicted heavy material damage on them.

Since September 2014, the US and its allies have also been carrying out airstrikes in Syria purportedly against Daesh positions. However, the Syrian government says the airstrikes had targeted the country's infrastructure in many instances and done little to stop the advances of terrorists.

According to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, over 400,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011.

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