Daesh continues resistance in Syria only in US-controlled areas: Russian top brass

A high-ranking Russian military figure says the last pockets of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria wreak havoc and perpetrate acts of terror only in areas controlled by US military forces.

“As for the current situation in Syria, we recommend Pentagon chief [James Mattis] study the country’s military map,” Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

His comments came in response to recent remarks by the US defense secretary.

Mattis alleged on June 6 that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, supported by Iran and Russia, had led his people to a catastrophe, while the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, mostly made up of US-backed Kurdish militants, were the only contingent that had succeeded in defeating Daesh terrorists in Syria.

“All pockets of Daesh resistance remain only in areas controlled by the US," Konashenkov added.

He also said that peaceful life was returning to areas liberated by Syrian government forces, sappers continued to clear residential areas of explosive devices, and markets, schools as well as kindergartens were open, the top Russian military official pointed out.

“These areas receive humanitarian aid and food, which do not contain even a single package that the US has paid for. This is while the United Nations and human rights advocates have confirmed that Syrian people are facing a terrible catastrophe in al-Tanf area – occupied by the US troops – as well as the city of Raqqah, which US troopers are controlling illegally,” Konashenkov stressed.

Syrian troops find Daesh weapons depot in Homs

Meanwhile, Syrian government forces have discovered a considerable amount of munitions left behind by Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the country’s central province of Homs.

A Syrian military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria’s official news agency SANA that Syrian army troopers had launched a clean-up operation in the Syrian Desert east of the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Palmyra.

The source added that Syrian soldiers had uncovered a secret underground weapons cache, containing a large number of improvised explosive devices and mortar shells, in the village of al-Hibiya.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.

Russia has been helping Syrian forces in an ongoing battle in the province of Dayr al-Zawr as the Daesh terrorist group struggles to keep its last positions in eastern Syria.

The Russian military assistance, which began in September 2015 at the official request of the Syrian government, has proved effective as the Syrians continue to recapture key areas from Daesh and other terrorist groups across the country with the backing of Russian air cover.

On May 21, the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces announced in a statement that complete security was restored to Damascus and its countryside after al-Hajar al-Aswad district and al-Yarmouk camp had been totally purged of Daesh terrorists.

The development was preceded by flushing the Takfiris out of the towns of Yalda, Babbila and Beit Sahem on the southern outskirts of Damascus.

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