The Russian Defense Ministry stated that refugees living in the Rukban desert camp in southeast Syria near the Jordanian border are being used by the United States to shield its military base near the town of al-Tanf.
"Rukban refugees are de facto hostages, effectively a ‘human shield’ for the US base. Think about it, other than by Americans such 'protection' barriers are used in Syria only by those who came here to fight the terrorists," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
