Russia voices concern over arms capture in Syria

The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed concerns over reports that a powerful foreign-backed militant group has captured arms depots of a rival militant group in northern Syria.

Citing Western media reports in connection with an al-Qaeda-linked militant group’s capture of more than 10 major warehouses storing non-lethal military supplies belonging to Western-backed ‘Free Syrian Army’ (FSA) opposition group in the town of Atme, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a Thursday statement that such “developments cause concern, especially in the context of the preparation for the Geneva-2 peace conference.”

The seizure of the arms depots as well as the so-called FSA’s supreme military headquarters has reportedly led the US and Britain to halt supplies of non-lethal aid to the anti-Damascus FSA units operating in northern Syria.

Russia says it has repeatedly warned the US and its Western allies about the danger of supplying the foreign-backed Syrian militants with arms and equipment that could eventually fall into the wrong hands.

A recent British study conducted by the defense consultancy, IHS Jane’s showed that about 100,000 militants, fragmented into 1,000 groups, are fighting in Syria against the government and people.

According to the study, published on September 16, some 10,000 militants are fighting for groups affiliated with al-Qaeda such as al-Nusra Front and the rest fight for different militant groups.

The analysis also showed that a large number of extremists from foreign countries are also active in Syria.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence.