“Free Syrian Army” has denied the cooperation with Russia – RBC

Soldiers of the “Free Syrian army»

Photo: AP

Representatives of the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) told Reuters, that the Russian Air Force not only supports them, but also regularly bombed the rebel formations. Groups identifying themselves as PAS, says the agency, included with the Kurdish militia in the newly formed alliance of “democratic forces of Syria” (BCA), which receives US support for the fight against the IG (terrorist organization “Islamic State”, banned in Russia).

The alliance acknowledged that Russian air strikes indirectly helped them during the recent fighting with the enemies of the “Al-Nusra”, a member of the terrorist organization “Al Qaeda” (banned in Russia). But they deny the receipt of direct Russian support.

The representative of the BCA Talal Salah told Reuters, that the members of the Alliance and related to the PAS group “Jaish al-Tuvar” (“Army of the revolutionaries”) has recently been surrounded to the north of Aleppo Islamist groups “Ahrar al-Sham” and “Front of the Levant”, acting with the support of Turkey. Russian aircraft carried out by the Islamists strike that led to the emergence of rumors about the agreement BCA with the Russian military, said Salah.

The representative of the DSS claimed that they had not had any contacts with the Russian side, and a blow to the Islamists was done as the Russians saw the cluster of enemy forces a good strategic opportunity for inflicting damage.

The head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov said on December 14 that the division CCA of about 5 thousand. People are offensive in cooperation with the Syrian army. “Only for their support of the Russian air force is applied 30-40 daily air strikes. They also assisted arms, munitions and material resources “, – he said.

A spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, later said that support is provided to some formations CCA, leading an offensive against the IG. The details of cooperation with the rebels, he proposed to ask the Ministry of Defense. “I have nothing to add to the words of the Chief of Staff,” – said Peskov.

«Free Syrian Army” was formed in the summer of 2011 by a group of officers of the Syrian army, spoke against President Bashar Assad. Currently, the coalition is made up of a large number of groups identifying themselves with PAS, but does not have the integrated command center and the organizational structure. Some formations, enjoy the support of the United States and Saudi Arabia, said that Russian air strikes inflicted on them.

On the contact SSA and Russia reported since the beginning of the Russian air operation in Syria. In late October, the representative of PAS Issam Reis said that the Syrian opposition is ready to receive Russian aid, but on the condition that Russia “must cease their bomb.” In early November, the representatives of four groups, members of the CCA, denied the information about upcoming talks with Russian diplomats PAS delegates from different parts of Syria. They told Reuters, that the delegates “represent no one».

The Russian side in all these cases did not indicate the name of the SSA factions with whom it deals.