Russia's bid to blacklist Syrian rebel groups at UN blocked by US, others
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}April 28, 2016 image made from video and posted online from Validated UGC, a man carries a child after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria. (UGC via AP video, file)
The U.S. and other countries at the United Nations Wednesday blocked Russia’s bid to blacklist two rebel groups in Syria saying it would undermine the war-torn country’s halt in fighting.
Reuters reported that Britain, the U.S., France and Ukraine blocked the bid to blacklist Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham. Moscow claimed the groups should have been excluded because of their ties to militant groups including ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Jaish al-Islam was set up in Saudi Arabia and Ahrar al-Sham denied sharing Al Qaeda’s ideology and ties to the group, the report said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pravda reported that Russia “provided all the necessary data which proves connection of these groups with the Islamic State.”
The newspaper reported that a British representative said the move would be counterproductive for the political process there.