MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will continue providing humanitarian aid to Syria and assisting Russian citizens who wish to leave the conflict zone, Russia's Foreign Ministry reported Wednesday.
"The Russian Federation will continue delivering vital humanitarian aid to the civilians of Syria, as well as providing assistance to Russian citizens who wish to temporarily leave the Syrian Arab Republic for security [reasons]," the ministry's announcement says.
Russia delivered 17 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria on Tuesday on the Emergency Ministry's IL-76 plane. Thirty two citizens from Russia and CIS countries returned to Moscow on board the plane later on.
Syria is currently battling the Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has been fighting against the Syrian government since 2012. In June, IS militants started launching attacks in Iraq, announcing the establishment of an Islamic caliphate on all the territories under its control in both countries and forcing thousands of people, mostly religious minorities, to flee.
