Russia condemns abduction of ICRC staffers in Syria

Russia urges those who are responsible for abducting staffers of the Red Cross in Syria to release them immediately without any preconditions, the Foreign Ministry reported. “Moscow condemns the daring crime towards international representatives, who provide real aid to ordinary Syrians at the expense of their lives,” the ministry said. “We urge those who are responsible for the abduction to release staffers of the Red Cross immediately and without any preconditions. We hope that foreign forces, which have influence upon the armed formations in the province of Idlib, will have an impact on the opposition,” the ministry said. It lauds a decision taken by the ICRC leadership “not to reduce the activity in Syria and continue the humanitarian mission”. Unknown armed persons kidnapped six staffers of the International Committee of the Red Cross and a volunteer of the Syrian Committee of the Red Crescent in the province of Idlib on October 13. The Russian ministry said the staffers had been kidnapped on the area, which was being controlled by the Syrian armed opposition, when the staffers returned to Damascus by car with the ICRC emblem. No group assumed responsibility for the abduction. Three ICRC staffers and the volunteer of the Syrian Committee of the Red Crescent were released on October 14.