War of words as Free Syrian rebels deny Russian support
RUSSIAN GENERAL SAYS AIR FORCE CONDUCTING STRIKES ON DAILY BASIS TO SUPPORT GROUP
Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels fighting President Bashar Al Assad in western Syria denied receiving any support from the Russian air force, saying that on the contrary it continued to bomb them and rejected comments by a top Russian general yesterday.
A separate, recently formed alliance of armed groups — including some that identify themselves as FSA — said its fighters had benefited indirectly from Russian air strikes during a recent battle with insurgents including the Al Qaida-linked Al Nusra Front, but denied any direct Russian support.
The groups were responding to comments by a senior Russian army general who said the Russian air force was conducting dozens of air strikes in Syria on a daily basis to support Free Syrian Army fighters who he said were fighting alongside government troops against Daesh militants.
Russian news agencies quoted Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian army’s general staff, as saying the number of Free Syrian Army units was “rising all the time” and they had received weapons, ammunition and material support.
Numerous groups
Russia has not given the names of the FSA groups it is talking about. Numerous groups identify themselves as part of the FSA, which does not have a central command and control structure.
Some of the most powerful FSA groups have received military support from Saudi Arabia and the United States. These groups have been regularly targeted in the Russian aerial campaign that got underway in support of Al Assad on September 30, and have reiterated denials of receiving any help from Moscow.
The alliance whose fighters benefited from Russian air strikes is the Democratic Forces of Syria, which groups the wellorganised Kurdish YPG militia with several Arab groups and has received US support to fight Daesh.
One of its factions, Jaysh Al Thuwwar, was recently involved in a days-long battle north of Aleppo with insurgents including the Islamist Ahrar Al Sham and the Levant Front, which is widely seen as Turkish-backed.
During that battle, Russian warplanes had struck Ahrar Al Sham and Nusra Front fighters who were encircling Democratic Forces of Syria fighters, said Talal Salu, spokesman for the Democratic Forces of Syria.
“They saw them in gathered in the hundreds so certainly it was an opportunity for them to target them, but not through an agreement with us,” he said, adding that his group’s critics were now saying they are receiving Russian support.
“People are trying to direct the matter towards the Democratic Forces of Syria because they think that they offered logistical support to us. They did not offer logistical support,” he said.
“There has been no contact, no agreement, or cooperation between us and the Russian army.” The Free Syrian Army groups targeted in Russian air strikes in western Syria have frequently been those that have received US-made TOW missiles, the most powerful weapon in the rebel arsenal.