Russia vows air support for Syrian troops in Aleppo

Russia has vowed to provide Syrian government troops with the "the most active" air support around Aleppo following the death of scores of people during fierce clashes with terrorists over the weekend.

During a press conference held in Moscow on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added that the so-called moderate opposition groups had been given enough time to leave the city. Washington recently asked Moscow to stop conducting airstrikes against the al-Nusra Front terrorists in Syria over fears of hitting the US-backed groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

“We believe there was plenty of time for the ‘normal’ opposition to leave Nusra Front territories since February. Those who didn’t part ways with the terrorists have only themselves to blame,” Lavrov added.

Last week, the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front terrorist group launched an offensive against the northwestern city of Aleppo.

“What is happening in Aleppo and around it now, we warned the Americans about this in advance, and they know that we will be actively supporting the Syrian army from the air to prevent terrorists from seizing territory," he noted.

He added that Russia’s decision had been shared with the US during a video-conference. “There won't be any surprises for the Americans," Lavrov said.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that some two thousand militants had gathered around the city’s Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood, among them "various terrorist groups and teams of so-called 'moderate opposition'."

SS