国际英语新闻:Russian military denies attacks on civilians in Syria's Idlib

MOSCOW, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry denied in a statement on Wednesday the accusations of attacks on civilians in Idlib.

"The activities of the Russian military and, above all, the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the warring parties in the Idlib de-escalation zone, are carried out solely on the basis of the Sochi agreements," the Ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said.

The Ministry said that the real cause of the crisis in the Idlib de-escalation zone is the failure of Turkey to fulfill their obligations to separate militants of the moderate opposition from the terrorists operating in the area.

The civilian population is suffering precisely from provocations in the Idlib de-escalation zone carried out by terrorist groups, which are covering themselves from the return fire of Syrian government troops by a human shield, the statement said.

The situation is significantly aggravated by the transfer of arms and ammunition into the de-escalation zone across the Turkish-Syrian border, as well by columns of Turkish armored vehicles and troops entering the territory of Idlib, it added.

At the same time, allegations of massive flows of refugees from the Idlib de-escalation zone have no factual basis, as a significant part of the inhabitants of Idlib province safely leaves dangerous areas and goes into areas controlled by the Syrian government, the Russian ministry said.

The main task of Russia and Turkey in Syria has been and remains the eradication of international terrorist groups that have settled on its territory in order to return peaceful life to the Syrians, it said.

"We are convinced that, not succumbing to provocations of terrorists and avoiding inconsistent hasty decisions, this mission of Russia and Turkey will be successfully implemented," it said.