Russia will fulfill its duty to rid Idlib of terrorists

The Russian foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it was Russia’s duty to fight terrorists in Syria’s Idlib until their “complete and final liquidation”, and called on other countries to support that effort, not obstruct it.

In a statement, the ministry said its actions in Idlib province were in line with multilateral agreements aimed at stamping out violent militant groups.

“Russia considers it its duty to closely follow these agreements and will continue to destroy terrorists until their final and complete liquidation,” the ministry said in the statement.

The United States on Wednesday urged Syria and its backers to halt plans for an all-out military attack against rebel-held Idlib as the U.N. Security Council prepared to address the crisis.

“With millions of civilians at risk, an offensive against Idlib would be a reckless escalation,” U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement.

“The regime and its backers must stop their military campaign in all its forms to allow the U.N.-led political process to have a chance to succeed.”

The council will discuss the crisis in Idlib on Friday after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the province of 3 million people if an all-out military assault is launched.

On Tuesday, Russian warplanes resumed air strikes on Idlib after a 22-day pause, pressing ahead with a campaign it has described as aimed at rooting out Al-Qaeda-linked groups.