Britain: Russia is Creating a Small Alawite State for Assad in Syria

On Tuesday, February 3, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond stated that instead of fighting the Islamic State (ISIS), Russia is bombing Syrian government opponents to create a small Alawite state for Bashar al-Assad. Hammond told Reuters that he believes Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has worsened the Syrian civil war by prioritizing the bombing of rivals to ISIS. The British Foreign Secretary also questioned how long Russia could continue this dual role of presenting itself as a peace advocate while continuing to bomb Assad's opponents. Meanwhile, Russia has rejected these criticisms, claiming that Western efforts to overthrow Bashar al-Assad are 'playing with fire.' Moscow asserts that it targets not only ISIS but several militia groups in Syria, although it claims to focus most of its strikes on ISIS. Conversely, Syrian rebels and civilians have repeatedly accused Russia of inflicting more damage on civilian areas through its airstrikes, injuring and wounding hundreds of non-combatants. Concurrently, as negotiations between the Syrian government and the UN special envoy are underway in Geneva, the Syrian army, supported by Russian airpower, has advanced in areas around Aleppo, threatening several key supply routes for the rebels. Reports indicate that the Syrian government has agreed to allow humanitarian aid convoys into besieged areas near Damascus. According to the Associated Press, the Syrian Red Crescent has transferred 14 trucks of humanitarian aid from the International Red Cross to the besieged areas of 'Tal.' Paul Kersick, a spokesperson for the International Red Cross, stated that the aid sent was for 3,500 besieged families and included food and medical supplies. Previously, opposition groups had demanded that the Syrian government end the siege of 18 points and that Russia halt its airstrikes before the Geneva negotiations began.