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DISINFO: Russia eliminated Daesh in Syria

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

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Syrian War Daesh Conspiracy theory Russian superiority

DISINFO: Russia eliminated Daesh in Syria

SUMMARY

.. Russia was able to eliminate Daesh in Syria…

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the Syrian war, and the fight against Daesh, trying to portray Russia as a saviour.

In December 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory over the Islamic State in Syria. Yet from the outset, the Russian military campaign primarily hit non-Daesh targets and it soon became clear that Putin’s chief goal was to ensure the future of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian President.

Fighting Daesh has never been Russia’s primary concern in Syria. Moscow made this crystal clear in 2016 with its brutal assault on Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city and industrial centre. The Russia-led aerial campaign deliberately targeted dense civilian areas, including hospitals, and U.S.-backed opposition forces. At the time, Stephen O’Brien, the United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, called Russia’s indiscriminate bombing of Aleppo, which killed thousands, “our generation’s shame.” During the months-long assault, Russia blocked two UN security council resolutions on Syria and broke multiple ceasefires.

On another note, the Russian and Syrian regimes are mounting “extremely aggressive” information operations, spreading disinformation and distorted narratives on social media in a bid to shape the strategic landscape as the ISIS fight comes to a close, said UK Army Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney, former deputy commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, which is the main objective of the international coalition made of 83 partners worldwide and announced on September 10, 2014, by then U.S. President Barack Obama to defeat Daesh.

Furthermore, Daesh’s ‘caliphate’ was destroyed in March 2019 but its ideology and the socioeconomic fault lines that gave birth to it are still intact in the region. Over the last year, both Iraq and Syria have witnessed a major uptick in Daesh attacks. In Syria deaths are reported almost daily in areas such as Deir Az Zor and hundreds have been killed in targeted attacks. According to a UN estimate, Daesh still has 10,000 fighters and between $300m and $500m in reserves.

Read similar cases in our database that claim that it is unclear who US forces are fighting; or that Russia saved Syria; or that Syria was steps away from falling had it not been for Russia; or that the International Coalition, in reality, supported Daesh.

The same case contained another claim that US sanctions prevent Syrian and Lebanese from sending money home.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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