The Hague will have to explain its aid to Syrian militants, Russian diplomat says

The members of the Dutch Parliament found out that official Hague was providing aid to the so-called Sultan Murad division. “Open sources indicate that the ‘division,’ per the UN data, was recruiting teenagers, arming them and dispatching them to fight,” Maria Zakharova pointed out

Dutch authorities will have to explain their support for the Sultan Murad radical group in Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Tuesday.

“An interesting story was unearthed by the members of the Dutch Parliament. They found out that official Hague was, for at least several years, providing aid not only to the pseudo-humanitarians from the White Helmets but also to the so-called Sultan Murad division – a militarized formation of Syrian anti-government forces. Open sources indicate that the ‘division,’ per the UN data, was recruiting teenagers, arming them and dispatching them to fight,” she pointed out. “The parliament members did not manage to find out how exactly the Hague helped the militants, how much it cost Dutch taxpayers, and what the plans are for further support. Yet this doesn’t mean that the Netherlands won’t have to explain this,” the spokeswoman noted.

According to her, Dutch lawmakers were outraged that the Hague is helping the militants who are not above such blatantly barbaric methods of warfare as the recruitment of children. “Do you know what the Dutch Foreign Minister did? She expressed concern over the emergence of reports of child soldiers. That’s it. The human rights 3D-printer in the Hague broke down. The head of the Netherlands’ foreign policy let it slip that the circumstances are being cleared up,” the spokeswoman pointed out.

She noted that, as strange as it is, the clarification of the circumstances caused by internal decisions needs time while everything that concerns Russia does not cause any complications and “immediately leads to accusations, the demands of sanctions and all sorts of curses towards Moscow.” “It always seemed to me that it is easier to sort out your own affairs. Unless it involves the #ThisIsDifferent hashtag,” the diplomat noted.