US reluctance in Syria led to Russia airstrikes: Iran MP

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the United States’ lack of resolve to fight terror encouraged Russia to launch airstrikes against the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Syria.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the fight against terrorism is a very important and serious issue.

“The Americans’ lack of seriousness in the fight against terrorism has encouraged Russia to directly participate in the military campaign against terrorism in Syria,” Boroujerdi said.

Iran believes that the US’ so-called fight against terrorism is merely for propaganda purposes and Washington’s words in that regard have not been put into action, the Iranian official said.

Boroujerdi said the fight against terrorism is a priority for Iran and Lebanon.

He said Iran has been providing Syria with military consultations, adding, “We support Russia’s involvement in the war against terrorism [in Syria] and believe that the fight against terrorism requires collective determination.”

Nearly 670 'combat sorties' against Daesh

Russia’s airstrikes against Daesh in Syria began on September 30, shortly after the upper house of the Russian parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the mandate to use military force in the Arab country, an ally of Moscow. The move came upon a request from Damascus.

On Friday, Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, who heads operations in the Russian general staff, said there has been growing discontent among Daesh militants with their command in Syria, with many of them deserting the terror group’s ranks as Moscow presses ahead with its air raids against terrorist positions in the Arab state.

Kartapolov also said since September 30 the Russian air force has made 669 “combat sorties” hitting over 456 Daesh positions.

The Russian president on October 1 compared Russia’s airstrikes against militants wreaking havoc in Syria with the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh in the Arab country and said the latter was launched with no UN mandate or invitation from the Damascus government.

“We have such an invitation and we intend to fight against terrorist organizations and them only,” Putin said.

The Iranian lawmaker also stated that the fight against terrorism would not have lasted for a long time if the US and its allies in the region refrained from providing terrorists with assistance and arms.

Airdrop of arms to militants

US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder said in a statement on October 12 that the United States and its so-called coalition partners have air-dropped tons of weapons to militants fighting inside Syria.

“Coalition forces conducted an airdrop Sunday (October 11) in northern Syria to resupply local counter-ISIL (Daesh) ground forces as they conduct operations against ISIL,” Ryder said.

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