Advertisement

MI6 head attacks Russian actions in Syria

The head of MI6 has warned Russian actions in Syria will have a tragic outcome and could put the security of Britain at risk.

Speaking for the first time, inside the London headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, Alex Younger was highly critical of what Moscow is trying to achieve in the Middle East.

"Russia seeks to make a desert and call it peace," he said of the country's bombing of Aleppo. "The human tragedy is heart-breaking.

"I believe the Russian conduct in Syria, allied with that of Assad's discredited regime, will, if they do not change course, provide a tragic example of the perils of forfeiting legitimacy.

"In defining as a terrorist anyone who opposes a brutal government, they alienate precisely that group that has to be on side if the extremists are to be defeated."

Younger, who is known within the organisation as 'C', gave the speech to an invited audience of journalists.

His warning was clear: Russia is making the situation worse, not better.

He said: "The facts on the ground are staggeringly complex. The plight of Syrians continues to worsen. I cannot say with any certainty what the next year will bring.

"But what I do know is this: we cannot be safe from the threats that emanate from that land unless the civil war is brought to an end."

More follows...