Russia says again that northeast Syria should return to Damascus

Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Thursday that areas in northeastern Syria now under control of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) should return to Damascus.

According to Zakharova, “The terrorists are continuing their subversive activities and have invigorated a vast network of so-called ’sleeping cells,’” despite the military defeat of the Islamic State announced by the SDF on March 23.

She claimed the situation is “aggravated by continuing clashes between Kurdish units and the Sunni Arabs that traditionally lived in these areas.”

Therefore, she said in a statement that Russia “supports restoring Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as a guarantee of ensuring the national security of its neighbours and achieving regional stability.”

Read the full article and more in Kurdistan 24.