Russia, Iran continue to ‘exacerbate’ Syria war

WASHINGTON, Oct 6, (Agencies): Commander of the US Central Command Joseph Votel stressed Thursday that Russia and Iran “continue to exacerbate” the seven-year civil war in Syria by “propping up an Assad regime bent on repressing its own people, including through the use of chemical weapons”.

Votel reiterated to reporters that Iran, “the world’s leading sponsor of terror, continues its malign influence and destabilizing the activities across the region”.

“None of these activities are helpful or supportive of peace and stability, and all introduce greater risk to an already complex and volatile environment,” he remarked.

He affirmed that the “most important thing” on ground in Syria, is that “our mission remains the defeat of (IS) and stabilizing the liberated territory to prevent a resurgence”.

He added “we’re certainly aware of the very significant efforts under way here to put pressure on Iran to change their behavior ... we do recognize that our presence on the ground, our development of good partners on the ground does have an impact on Iranian activities”.

Meanwhile, Votel reiterated “I don’t think we’re seeking to go to war with Iran. And I don’t think that’s what we’re focused on”.

He added that President Donald Trump “has made it very clear that the Iranian regime needs to cease its destabilizing behavior and policies that spread violence and human misery throughout the Middle East”.

“The principal way that we are approaching that, right now is through diplomatic and economic pressure. And I support that,” he stressed.

He added “we remain engaged in the region, we remain very committed to the region, and we remain prepared to respond rapidly and massively if the situation requires”.

On Yemen, he noted that Iran also “continues to export missiles, rockets and unmanned aerial systems to the Houthis, prolonging and expanding the conflict, adding to the suffering and humanitarian disaster, threatening critical waterways and disrupting the process towards peace”.

“Yemen is suffering from a toxic combination of civil war, terrorism and malign influence that not only threatens the existence of its people, but also adds to instability in the region and threatens our national interests,” he stressed.

Syrian opposition activists say an explosive device detonated in a northern town held by Turkey-backed opposition fighters killing four people, including two children.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday’s car bomb went off at entrance of the industrial district of the town of Azaz.

It added that the explosion occurred near a tanker filled with fuel, causing a fire.

The Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, also reported four people killed including two children, adding that the explosion occurred inside a shop that sells fuel.

Car bombs have been common since Syria’s conflict began in 2011.

Northern Syria has been fraught with clashes between rival insurgent groups including al-Qaeda-linked militants and Turkey-backed rebels.

Two Turkey-backed Syrian rebel officials told Reuters that rebel groups had begun to withdraw heavy weaponry from a demilitarized zone in northwest Syria on Saturday morning.

The families of Druze hostages held by the Islamic State group rallied for a third day Friday to demand action by the Syrian government to free them, witnesses said.

The jihadists abducted around 30 people – mostly women and children – from the southwestern province of Sweida in late July during the deadliest attack on Syria’s Druze community of the seven-year civil war.

On Friday, a handful of people gathered for a sit-in at the government’s provincial headquarters in Sweida, a reporter in the city told AFP.