Russian general: There are no plans to storm Aleppo
- 8 years ago
Russian military will not be storming the Syrian city of Aleppo anytime soon so they say, but they are backing the country's army in their fight against the al-Qaida- affiliated Nusra Front around it.
Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi told Monday's briefing Nusra has 10,000 fighters southwest and north of Aleppo, with the group looking to cut a strategic highway linking country's largest city with the rest of the country.
Rudskoi's comments dispel a notion made by Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halki, who reportedly told Russian lawmakers in Damascus on Sunday that Syrian troops backed by the Russian air force are preparing a joint operation to capture Aleppo.
Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi told Monday's briefing Nusra has 10,000 fighters southwest and north of Aleppo, with the group looking to cut a strategic highway linking country's largest city with the rest of the country.
Rudskoi's comments dispel a notion made by Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halki, who reportedly told Russian lawmakers in Damascus on Sunday that Syrian troops backed by the Russian air force are preparing a joint operation to capture Aleppo.