Russia launches humanitarian operations in Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia said Friday, January 15, it had launched humanitarian operations in Syria where it is carrying out a bombing campaign against the Islamic State group, claiming peaceful life was slowly returning to the war-torn country, AFP reports.

"The inhabitants are gradually coming back to Syrian cities and peaceful life is returning," General Sergei Rudskoi, a senior Russian General Staff official, told reporters.

"In this context, the implementation of humanitarian operations will be a new line of work for the Russian armed forces in Syria," he said in televised comments.

"Currently most of the aid is being sent to the city of Deir ez-Zor which has been besieged by ISIL terrorists for a long time," Rudskoi said, using another term for IS.

He said Syria's Il-76 military transport planes had airdropped 22 tons of humanitarian aid to Deir ez-Zor using Russian equipment.

"It will be distributed by local authorities," Rudskoi added.

"Our work in this direction will continue," he said.

"In the future we will give to the Syrian people all possible assistance when it comes to liberating the country from extremists and rebuilding peaceful life."

Russia has decided to launch its own humanitarian operations in Syria because most of the aid has so far gone to rebel-controlled areas, often ending up in the hands of extremists, Rudskoi said.