Syria says the Turkish artillery is shelling local settlements, while Saudi Arabia is preparing for military exercises involving the Air Force and ground forces of over 20 countries

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MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. The US-led coalition is trying to hamper the full crackdown on the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) and the restoration of peace in the Middle East region, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday. "The goals and tasks of these coalitions lie on the surface: this is to try to hamper the absolute defeat of the Iblis State [State of Satan, a term Kadyrov uses to describe the IS] and the restoration of peace in the region," Kadyrov wrote on his Instagram page. "Some countries have announced plans to deploy forces [to Syria] with the simultaneous launch of airstrikes," the head of Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Chechnya has said.

Syria says that the Turkish artillery is shelling local settlements, while Saudi Arabia is preparing for the major military exercises in its history involving the Air Force and ground forces of more than 20 Arab countries, Kadyrov said. Some reports claim that the equipment and personnel are already being sent to a military base in Saudi Arabia, he wrote. The Chechen leader has not ruled out that this is the preparation for active combat actions in Syria, warning that "with the use of the Air Force and units of several states on the military foothold it is highly likely that accidents could occur that may provoke major conflicts and even armed encounters."

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