Cooperating with Syria key to ISIL defeat: Russia

A senior Russian official has reiterated that any triumph for the US-led coalition’s airstrike campaign against the ISIL terrorists would be contingent upon its cooperation with the Syrian government.

“How is it possible to fight against terrorism in a country, when the leadership of that country wishes to fight, but [US and its allies] do not recognize its sovereignty,” Russia’s deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov asked on Sunday as quoted in a RIA Novosti report.

Insisting that “there should be no double standards,” Bogdanov further said, “There is a need for clear understanding of what a sovereign state is, and cooperation with this country’s government, like this is done in Iraq.”

Bogdanov, who also serves as Russia’s special presidential envoy for the Middle East, added that the issue of terrorism must be addressed “collectively and on the basis of clear principles.”

Since late September, the US along with its regional allies, has been conducting airstrikes against the ISIL inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The US began its airstrike campaign against the Iraq-based Takfiri terrorists in August.

This is while many of the countries joining the so-called anti-terror coalition, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have been the staunch supporters of the ISIL Takfiri elements in the region.

The airstrikes by US and its allies are an extension of the US-led aerial campaign against the ISIL positions in Iraq.

The ISIL terrorists currently control large swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. They have committed terrible atrocities in both countries, including mass executions and beheading of local residents as well as foreign subjects.