...boodling on the grand scale...
Vasily Nebenzya said, addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday.
"Thanks to the consistent efforts of the Russian and Syrian military, the capabilities of terrorist organizations active in Syria, namely ISIS, have been significantly reduced," he pointed out. "At the same time, some terrorist cells carry on with their activities and still pose a serious threat," Nebenzya added.
According to the Russian envoy, the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...group formed on the basis of the Jabhat al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
organization is the biggest one. "According to various estimates, its strength ranges between 10,000 and 15,000. The fight against this terrorist organization is complicated by attempts to present it as part of the political opposition," Nebenzya said.
"Hurras ad-Din, a branch of al-Qaeda in Syria, is another terrorist organization that continues to pose a danger in the region," he noted, adding: "Various sources estimate its strength between 3,500 and 5,000 members, half of whom are foreign Death Eaters."
"Russia will continue to provide the necessary assistance to the Syrian authorities in combating the terrorists," the Russian envoy emphasized.