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US Asks Russia Not To Target Al-Qaeda In Syrian Airstrikes

Washington has asked Moscow not to conduct airstrikes against Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, otherwise known as al-Nusra Front Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that the US are worried that members of the “moderate opposition” could also be hit. In an interview with local Russian media that was published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, Lavrov said: “They [the US] are telling us not to hit it [al-Nusra Front], because there are also ‘normal’ opposition groups [on those territories],” RT reports: The minister also stressed that “such opposition groups should leave terrorist positions,” adding that “we have long agreed on that.” Russia first set a deadline for the “moderate” opposition to leave territories occupied by al-Nusra Front extremists, but then agreed to give them more time to withdraw. In the interview, Lavrov said that Russia believes that taking specific and more effective measures to fight the Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL) and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups should be the top priority for Russia and the US if the Syrian crisis is to be resolved. “It is important to provide humanitarian access to the settlements blocked by one side or another, to secure the ceasefire and to prevent its violation, as well [...]