TASSMon, 23 Oct 2017 08:54 UTC
© Youtube Screenshot/Gabriel ChaimThough the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Kurdish militias and its multi-ethnic allies, declared victory over ISIS fighters after a final round of battles, the city itself has been "comprehensively wrecked."
The immediate allocation of millions of dollars and euros for Raqqa is another example of how the US-led coalition uses double standards in Syria, Frants Klintsevich saidBy allocating money for humanitarian assistance to Raqqa's residents, the US-led coalition tries to organize a new Syrian center, which would be beyond the control of President Bashar Assad, first deputy head of the Federation Council (parliament's upper house) committee on defense and security Frants Klintsevich told reporters on Sunday.
The immediate allocation of millions of dollars and euros for Raqqa, he said, is another example of how the US-led coalition uses double standards in Syria, and example of differentiating between "friendly" and "unfriendly."
"Clearly, all this has an apparent political background," the senator said.
"And here the thing is not only in the attempts to hide the evidence of the barbarian bombing, in my opinion first of all those are the attempts to make Raqqa a center of another Syria - Syria, which is not controlled by Bashar Assad. This is the purpose of the money, and claimed restoration of peaceful life in the city is only a seeming excuse."
Earlier reports said the UK allocated ten million pounds ($13.2 million) for humanitarian assistance to civilians in Raqqa, liberated from militants of IS (Islamic State, outlawed in Russia). The offensive in Raqqa began on June 6. Terrorists were encircled in the central part of the city on September 21, but continued resisting. Before the final stage of the operation, most civilians had fled the city.
The Syrian Democratic Forces coalition at a news conference on October 20 announced officially the city was liberated from the militants.
Russia's Defense Ministry compared the coalition's bombarding of Raqqa with Dresden, which was destroyed in 1945.
Comment: That certainly sounds like something the US would do: raze Raqqa to the ground in order to rebuild it and populate it with 'the right people'.
Informed sources in Raqqa were quoted as
saying that al-Sabhan's visit coincided with a trip made by Brett McGurk, the top US envoy to the anti-ISIL coalition, to the region.
"Al-Sabhan's main objective was not helping the displaced people but it was saving nearly 30 Saudi ISIL members," the sources said.
They added that al-Sabhan vowed to help reconstruction efforts in Syria after extradition of the Saudi ISIL members.
Al-Sabhan is minister of state for Arab Affairs. He was previously the ambassador to Iraq.
See also:
Comment: That certainly sounds like something the US would do: raze Raqqa to the ground in order to rebuild it and populate it with 'the right people'.
Informed sources in Raqqa were quoted as saying that al-Sabhan's visit coincided with a trip made by Brett McGurk, the top US envoy to the anti-ISIL coalition, to the region. See also: