State Depart­ment Spokes­person blames Russia for not reelin­g agains­t Presid­ent Bashar al-Assad's regime­WASHINGTON: The United States blasted Russia on Thursday over the bombing of Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, saying it has a “unique responsibility” for the more than 400 deaths in the Damascus suburb. After fresh air and rocket strikes by Syrian government forces killed another 46, State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert blamed Russia for not reeling in the regime of its ally President Bashar al-Assad. “Without Russia backing Syria, the devastation and the deaths would certainly not be occurring,” Nauert told journalists. From fighting regime to anti-Islamic State, Syria rebel traces US policy shiftsNauert said the assault on Eastern Ghouta, which began on Sunday, showed the failure of the Astana process, in which Russia, Iran, and Turkey sought to delineate de-escalation zones in Syria, including one for Eastern Ghouta. She said that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is “highly focused” on the Eastern Ghouta situation in regular talks with counterparts.

Source: The Express Tribune February 22, 2018 22:18 UTC