Last week the US Air Force, in the most devious way, and without warning Russia, attacked a Syrian government Army convoy. This is the second time US deliberately strikes Assad's troops. The first one was a few weeks ago, when tomahawks, with no proven necessity, hit the Syrian Shayrat Airbase.
And now it happens again. Instead of fighting terrorists, US attacks those who fight them. Their excuse is some prattle that they were scared, they felt threatened. In Russia, this attack was frowned upon, and some even saw it as a change of US policy in Syria. Our military correspondent Evgeny Poddubny reports from Syria.
This is Homs, Syria, the 3rd largest city in the country. For the first time since the war started, it's safe to say it's over for Homs. The last militants, you can see them behind me, leave the northern blocks of Homs. Many of them are radical Islamists and they don't even hide it. They leave with their personal guns, their belongings and their families. After the buses are full, accompanied by the police squads from the Syrian Arab Republic, the columns will go to Idlib, a de-escalation zone. There, Homs militants will have to uphold the cease-fire regime.
In the last month, over 700 militants left Alvar. This became possible thanks to the Russian Reconciliation Center. The main goal of leading the militants out is humanitarian — safety of civilians, who used to be in combat zones. At the checkpoint, where the buses for militants are located, safety is provided by the officers of the Russian Military Police. Reconciliation Center officers supervise the militants. They are warrantors of the agreements that were reached by the conflicting parties.
Militants calmly load their luggage, many have dispenser magazines attached to their guns. Syrian policemen are right there, nobody is being provocative. Almost all the militants refuse to talk to the media. But our crew was lucky to talk to one of the members of an illegal armed group from northern Homs. He's very aggressive, it's clear he's simply forced to leave the town. We're leaving Homs not because we're afraid of the Syrian Army. There's no point to keep fighting here. This was a political decision, to leave Homs, and we supported it. But for us this doesn't mean the war is over.
As soon as the buses with militants start leaving, for the first time in a few years Syrian police will enter Northern Homs. Then Russian officers from the Reconciliation Center will begin negotiating with the militants, located between Homs and Hama. All this is to get the territory back under Damascus' control. Amid the settlement process, started by Russia, US is doing everything to make matters worse.
Americans struck the Syrian soldiers again, these are deliberate actions in the interest of Bashar Al-Assad's enemies. Planes of the so-called American-led coalition stopped a Shiite troops column, that's fighting on the side of official Damascus. It's obvious that the Washington politicians act in Syria, violating international rights. But they're used to it here.
For the first time, Americans openly supported the illegal armed groups, that fight against the government forces on-land. American army transported militants to South Syria, who trained in a Special Forces Center in Amman. This happened exactly when the Syrian Army began the operation to deblock Deir ez-Zor. This means taking back the regions with oil deposits from the militants. This is Palmyra and the Syrian Army has formed a group here, that should eventually get to the surrounded by the militants Deir ez-Zor. Government forces soldiers move slowly here.
The pseudo-Caliphate terrorists took over the high grounds along the Tadmur-Deir ez-Zor highway. In the north, there's another group moving along the Euphrates. They are led by General Suheil. Here, defeating the so-called Islamic state is a matter of time. But western countries take measure to get in the way of the forces from Damascus.
American airplanes hit the government forces column, when they approached the positions of the militants of the so-called New Syrian Army. But this is more of a reason for a strike, which killed 8 people and destroyed 2 tanks. The troops weren't going to attack the American-led army. Their goal was to eventually take over a part of the Syrian-Iraqi border, which is now used by ISIS to transfer backup from Iraq. Americans just decided not to let the Shi'ite troops to reunite with their fellow believers from Iraq. This would strengthen Iran's positions in the region.
