Kerry: Russian Military Support For Assad Could Raise Risk Of Confrontation

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that Russia's military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could raise the risk of confrontation with coalition forces fighting Islamic State there.

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa, Kerry said he had told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the United States was worried by Moscow's military backing for Assad in Syria's civil war, now in its fifth year.

"These actions could provoke a further escalation of the conflict and lead to the loss of more innocent lives, increasing the flow of refugees and risking a confrontation with the anti-ISIL (in reference to the so-called 'Islamic State (ISIS) of Iraq and the Levant' takfiri group) coalition operating in Syria," Kerry said.

He did not spell out what he meant by the coalition. 

But the United States and allies have been launching air strikes against alleged positions held by the ISIL/ISIS militant group in Syria, and in neighboring Iraq...
almanar.com.lb
23/9/15