Shoygu: US-led coalition failed to win over terrorists in Syria

The anti-terror coalition led by the United States failed to fulfill tasks aimed at fighting terrorists in Syria; its goal was to reinforce its military and economic presence in the Arabic Republic, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu announced today, on April 4, at the 7^th Moscow Conference on International Security.

As Shoygu said, the US-led coalition included and includes more than 30 military advanced states, significant resources are used, including air forces and special task forces. However, no tangible results were registered. Meanwhile, territories controlled by the ISIS in Iraq and Syria have extended.

“It is hard to believe that a powerful coalition failed to win over terrorists. It looks like they had another goal: to undermine the situation in the region, reinforce their military and economic presence in the region,” he stressed.

“Evidently, if we combined our effort with the coalition, the ISIS story could have ended much earlier with lesser losses,” the defense minister stated.

In his speech, Shoygu drew attention to the fact that the world finds itself in a crucial stage, when relations between the countries change, and the stake is more often put onto a forceful settlement. Claims of certain countries that they are of exclusive nature step up the arms race.

“On this background, the anti-Russian sentiment increases; unfriendly military activities are growing near our borders. In this situation, the Russian leadership is taking actions to guarantee the national security. The main focus is upon fighting the terrorist threat, the scale of which has increased dramatically in recent years,” he concluded.

As EADaily reported, the 7^th Moscow Conference on International Security kicked off in Moscow today. The key subject of the forum is about prospects of the Middle East developments after the ISIS is defeated in Syria. Special attention will be paid to restoring and improving the peaceful life in Syria after the conflict is over.

Special plenary sessions will be dedicated to security issues in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America with an emphasis on interaction of military agencies in providing security in the regions.