ISIL Could Exploit Destabilization Caused by US Aid to Syrian Opposition

Moscow stressed that the aid, especially financial or technical, to the opposition in Syria, leads to further destabilization of the situation in the country, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Washington aiding Syria's opposition will lead to further destabilization in the country, creating a situation that could be exploited by the Islamic State (ISIL) extremist group, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

"Of course, Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the aid, especially financial or technical, to the opposition in Syria, leads to further destabilization of the situation in the country. This essentially creates a situation which could be used by terrorists from the so-called Islamic State, as the weakened leadership simply loses its potential to stop the growth of the Islamic State," Peskov told reporters.

Since 2013, Washington has been gradually increasing its financial assistance to what it regards as the "moderate" Syrian opposition, while also providing it with small quantities of arms and non-lethal gear. Last month, the United States and Turkey announced a joint plan to provide cover to Syrian rebels from the air to help them seize control of more Syrian territory from ISIL.

Peskov stressed that US military involvement was one of the major differences between Russia and United States' positions on the four-year Syrian war. "And this is absolutely no secret. We have never hushed up these differences," Peskov added.

US-made military hardware is known to have fallen into the hands of the ISIL militant group. ISIL's influence has been spreading across the Middle East and North Africa as the group continues its fight and local insurgents have sworn allegiance to it.