Turkey’s Border Games with Ally…al Qaeda

“Several Islamic State armed groups have reportedly been concentrated near the settlement of Nusaybin in Turkey. According to our data, the terrorists are planning to attack the settlement of al-Qamishli in Syria populated by Syrian Kurds,” he said.

According to the Russian center for the reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria, terrorists continue attempts to frustrate the peace process in Syria by means of opening provocative fire at Turkey to make it deploy its troops in Syria.

“On March 6, 2016, Jabhat al-Nusra militants several times opened mortar fire at the Turkish territory near the settlement of Metishli. The militants’ actions were aimed to provoke retaliation fire for the Turkish military and their deployment in Syria, which will inevitably frustrate the peace process,” Kuralenko said.

He also noted that militants of the Jund al-Malihash group blocked traffic between the settlements of Nahteh and al-Hirak in the Syrian province of Daraa. “They stop cars with civilians and threaten them with violence over their refusal to take part in combat operations,” he said.

Leaders of Syria’s opposition ask Russia’s defense ministry to protect them from IS

Apart from that, according to Kuralenko, terrorists filmed a fake clash between two armed groups in the vicinity of the settlement of Narb-Nafsa in the province of Hama. The film might be used “to accuse the Syrian army of ceasefire violation,” he said.

A ceasefire regime brokered by Russia and the United States on February 22 officially came into effect in Syria at midnight Damascus time on February 27. This does not cover terrorist groups such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, both outlawed in Russia, and other groups recognized as terrorist by the United Nations Security Council.

An hour before the ceasefire came into force, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution in support cessation of hostilities in Syria. The document was initiated by Russia and the United States and won support from all the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council.