OREANDA-NEWS. In five years, the Russian military completely destroyed the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said in an interview with the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda. According to him, the Russian mission in Syria was necessary, and the decision to start a military operation was right.

“Thus, the task set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief five years ago has been fully completed. The international terrorist organization Islamic State in Syria has ceased to exist, not a single terrorist has entered Russia,” Shoygu explained.

The Defense Minister noted that the Russian mission in Syria was necessary. According to him, as a result of hostilities, international terrorism suffered significant damage, and the system for providing terrorists with finances and other resources was disrupted. “Another key aspect is that the effective actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria have put a reliable barrier on the path of further expansion of the activities of terrorist groups, especially to neighbouring territories,” Shoigu concluded.