Coalition Countries Deliver Medical Supplies to Northeastern Syria to Help Fight Pandemic

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Members of the Global Coalition against Daesh* have delivered truckloads of medical and essential supplies to detention facilities in northeastern Syrian in mid-April, the coalition said in a statement on Sunday.

"The supplies support the Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) safety as they hold 10,000 Daesh detainees and protect the public. Among a variety of supplies, handwashing stations with soap and water, disinfectant wipes, cloth face-covers and examination gloves were included. ... The supplies given to the SDF will help protect the guards at the facilities, who detain thousands of foreign terrorist fighters, which is one step of a larger plan to ensure guards and detainees are at a minimum risk of contracting the virus", the statement read.

It added that the SDF personnel would be trained on how to use the protective equipment as well as learn sanitation measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

"It is critical that the Coalition provides its partner forces with the necessary resources to improve their regional infrastructure that extends even beyond the threat of COVID-19. In an environment where Daesh will attempt to exploit any weaknesses in the detention facilities, the need to protect the overall population is paramount to preventing unrest within the area", the statement added.

The Syrian government's health authorities have registered 42 coronavirus, with three patients having died and 11 recovered. The government imposed a curfew across the nation on 25 March.

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* Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia