CAIRO (Sputnik) — Syria's Moscow-Cairo opposition group would welcome the potential establishment of a center to coordinate airstrikes jointly operated by the United States and Russia but expressed doubts that it would succeed without the sides first agreeing on a definitive list of terrorist groups operating in the country, a member of the group said Thursday.
"Of course it is a positive move, but we should take into consideration several aspects: Russia and the United States should agree on who should be recognized as terrorist and terrorist groups. This cooperation should take place in the context of broad cooperation on the search for a political solution… The struggle against terrorism should be fair and directed against terrorism, as a whole, and not only radical Sunni groups… I do not expect any effect [from the proposed cooperation] if these three points are not taken into account," Firas Khalidi told RIA Novosti.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with numerous opposition factions and Islamic extremist groups fighting government forces seeking to topple the government of President Bashar Assad. Russia had been conducting an aerial campaign against terrorists in Syria since September 30, 2015 at Assad's request.
The US-led coalition of over 60 nations has been conducting airstrikes in Syria and Iraq against Daesh, since the summer of 2014. The terrorist group is outlawed in many countries around the world, including the United States and Russia.
