DISINFO: The US and Europe support Jihadist forces in Syria
SUMMARY
For the past eight years, the US and Europe, have been supporting Jihadist forces in Syria in order to topple the Assad regime. These forces are responsible for over 400,000 deaths in the country. Russian intervention in Syria, on the other hand, is restoring peace to the country.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that the West supports terrorist organizations in Syria [Daesh and Al Nusra]. There is no evidence that US, NATO or EU have supported Daesh or other Jihadist groups in Syria. The US-led military campaign in Syria and Iraq has clearly targeted Daesh. Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative attributing massacres of civilian population in Syria to anti-Assad opposition groups. At the same time, no responsibility attributed to the Assad regime and Russian forces. Against this background, there is ample evidence that the Syrian regime is responsible for numerous massacres, bombings and chemical attacks on civilians in Syria. Russian airstrikes on hospitals, water treatment plants and mosques [causing hundreds of civilian deaths] have also been documented. Moreover, pro-Kremlin media often refer to Russian military intervention in Syria as a “war on terrorism” aimed at destroying Daesh. In reality, Russia’s military action has mostly concentrated on targeting the non-Daesh opposition forces, while a relatively low proportion of Russian airstrikes in Syria have targeted Daesh or other al-Qaeda-linked groups. For more background: https://jamestown.org/program/russia-middle-east-new-front-information/ https://www.fiia.fi/en/publication/russias-propaganda-war-about-syria https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/syriasource/russia-s-disinformation-campaign-has-changed-how-we-see-syria