'U.S. Wiped Syria's Raqqah off Face of Earth'

Date: 22 October 2017 - 21:45

News ID: ۴۵۵۷۷

MOSCOW (Dispatches) – Russia says the U.S. has wiped the Syrian city of Raqqah "off the face of the earth" with carpet bombing in the same way the United States and Britain bombed Germany's Dresden in 1945.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry accused the West of having rushed to provide aid to Raqqah to cover up its own crimes.
"Raqqah has inherited the fate of Dresden in 1945, wiped off the face of the earth by Anglo-American bombardments," said Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenko.
Recently, Daesh terrorists left Raqqah, their former "capital” in Syria, as part of a deal with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the U.S.-led coalition. Thus, the U.S.-backed Kurdish-dominated SDF announced full control over the city.
Konashenkov complained that the West had turned down Russia's requests for humanitarian aid to Syrian civilians.
"What is behind the rush by Western capitals to provide targeted financial help only to Raqqah?" he asked. "There's only one explanation - the desire to cover up evidence of the barbaric bombardments by the U.S. air force and the coalition as fast as possible and to bury the thousands of civilians 'liberated' from Daesh in the ruins."
The Russian official also accused the U.S. of overplaying the significance of the fall of Raqqah.
"The bravura statements by official representatives of the U.S. administration about the 'outstanding victory' over Daesh in Raqqah prompt bafflement," he said.
Konashenkov estimated that some 200,000 people had lived in Raqqah before the crisis erupted in Syria in 2011, but now not more than 45,000 people remained there.
The U.S. and its allies have been bombarding what they call Daesh positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
The airstrikes, however, have on many occasions resulted in civilian casualties and failed to fulfill their declared aim of countering terrorism.
In another development, SDF, says it has seized control of one of Syria's largest oil fields in the eastern Dayr al-Zawr Province.
The SDF announced on Sunday the capture of al-Omar oil field, situated some 10 kilometers north of the town of al-Mayadin, which was recently liberated from the grip of Daesh terrorists by government forces.
With Daesh on the retreat amid government advances in Dayr al-Zawr, the SDF has recently pushed to capture as much territory as possible in the province, including a number of gas fields.
The developments are seen by analysts as a prelude to the further flare-up of tensions in the region.
The SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, has reportedly shelled the positions of pro-Damascus troops on several occasions.
Earlier this week, Daesh terrorists left Raqqah, their former "capital” in Syria, as part of a deal with the SDF and the US-led coalition. Thus, the SDF announced full control over the city.