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US recent statement on Syria, threat: Analyst

Friday, 30 September 2016 4:23 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 30 September 2016 4:25 PM ]

This file photo shows the US State Department building

The latest US statement on Syria anticipating possible terror attacks in Russia can only be interpreted as a “threat” and a “call to action,” says Mark Sleboda, an international relations and security analyst.

“This is a political rhetoric of the most undiplomatic and flagrant type that basically the Russian government is furious about these statements,” Sleboda told Press TV.

This comes as US State Department spokesman John Kirby said terrorists in Syria could launch attacks "against Russian interests, perhaps even Russian cities."

“This also applies to the United States’ anti-terrorist actions in the Middle East. One would think they also make themselves vulnerable by fighting terrorism, by putting their military interests on the front line in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere,” the analyst said.

“Unless we interpret this as a specific threat by the United States to use the extremist proxies that it illegally supports in Syria, illegally arming, training and supplying proxies in Syria and uses them or makes a general call to action for them to strike against Russia,” he added.

Sleboda further stated whenever the US proxies and their terrorist allies are being defeated in Syria, Washington makes a call for a ceasefire.

He also mentioned that Russia treats all calls for a ceasefire with a very high degree of “skepticism” and “cynicism” due to the violations of the recent Syria truce.

He went on to say that Russia will not agree to any “longstanding” cessation of hostilities until US President Barack Obama lives up to his repeated promises and separates its so-called moderate militants from the terrorist groups.

The analyst argued that both the US proxies and their terrorist allies only use the ceasefires in Syria to “regroup, rearm and reinforce” their forces, adding that Russia simply cannot afford that anymore.

Since March 2011, Syria has been hit by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies.

Moscow and Washington support opposing sides in the conflict.

Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria at the Damascus government’s request since last September.

The US and its allies have also been carrying out their own airstrikes against what they call Daesh positions in Syria and neighboring Iraq since 2014.

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