‘US Secret Services’ Tried to Capture 29 Russian Troops in Syria and Got Their Butts Kicked

A large-scale offensive on the positions of Syrian Government troops in the Idlib de-escalation zone, which breached a ceasefire agreement, was “initiated by the American secret services to stop the successful advance of the [Syrian] government troops to the east of Deir ez-Zor,” Head of the Main Operational Department of Russian General Staff Sergei Rudskoi said in a briefing in Moscow, Wednesday.

Sergei Rudskoi, Head of Main Operational Department of Russian General Staff (Russian): “Despite the agreements signed on 15th November in Astana, Jabhat Al-Nusra militants joined by groups unwilling to comply with the terms of the ceasefire, at 8.00am [local time] (06:00am GMT) on September 19 launched a large-scale offensive on the positions of government troops to the north and northeast of Hama in the Idlib de-escalation zone. The attack was carried out with the support of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, it was preceded by an artillery barrage. During the day, the militants managed to penetrate 12 kilometres [7.5 miles] through the government troops’ defence line and at the front up to 20 kilometres [12.4 miles]. According to current information, the attack was initiated by the American secret services to stop the successful advance of the [Syrian] government troops to the east of Deir ez-Zor.

One of the main goals of the militants’ actions was an attempt to capture units of the Russian military police, amounting to 29 service personnel carrying out tasks at an observation point deployed in the area to control the de-escalation forces. In the militants’ attack, a military police platoon of 29 people was trapped and for several hours repelled the attacks of the enemy shoulder to shoulder with the Mwali tribe, which signed the agreement on joining the cessation of hostilities and remained true to it in this difficult situation.

In these extreme conditions the commander of the Russian forces in Syria, General-Colonel Surovkin, formed a rescue group. It was composed of units of special operations forces, military police, joined by the military-natives of the North Caucasus and the Syrian Special Forces. The squad was headed by Deputy Head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties and Hero of Russia, Major General Victor Shuliak. Aviation conducted strikes on the terrorists’ positions. The actions of the rescue squad were constantly supported by a pair of Sukhoi Su-25s, striking at militants and armoured vehicle militants from extremely low altitudes. As a result, the encirclement was broken and units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, without a loss, reached the area controlled by the [Syrian] government troops. During the operation, three soldiers of the Special Operations Forces were injured.

All participants of this unique operation were presented with state awards. A terrorist attack was stopped and they suffered heavy losses due to the measures taken by the Russian command together with the General Staff of Syria. Air and artillery strikes destroyed 187 objects, about 850 terrorists, 11 tanks, four armoured vehicles, 46 pickups, five mortars, 20 trucks and 38 weapons warehouses were destroyed in a 24-hours period. Using the results of the fire support, units of the fifth volunteer assault corps, together with squads of government troops with the support of Russian aircraft, counterattacked and currently almost completely regained the ground lost. The operation to destroy the terrorists will be continued.”