The Russian military has launched airstrikes against Islamic State militant targets in Syria. The move was approved after a request from President Bashar Assad to Vladimir Putin, who has also expressed concern about the number of Russian extremists in the country.
13 October 2015
An air safety draft to come into effect during bombing operations in Syria, drawn up by Russian Defense Ministry, has been forwarded to its US counterparts, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. Russian air-to-surface military operation in Syria began September 30 at the request from the Syrian government. The Syrian Army, backed by Russian airstrikes, has advanced significantly since then.
12 October 2015
Russia is bombing Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL), not moderate opposition groups, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksey Meshkov said, commenting on the EU appeals to stop targeting the moderate opposition.
“I have not seen the statement, but it has been for a long time clear to all that Russia is bombing terrorist organizations, ISIS – not moderate opposition,” he said.
Due to a request from Ankara, the Russian Defense Ministry has postponed observation flights over Turkey planned in compliance with the Open Skies Treaty. The agreement, signed in March 1991, allows its parties to openly gather information on mutual military activity for stepping up transparency and security.
European Union demands Russia halts Syria airstrikes against so-called ‘moderate’ anti-govt rebels.
"The recent Russian military attacks that go beyond Daesh (Islamic State) and other UN-designated terrorist groups, as well as on the moderate opposition, are of deep concern and must cease immediately," the EU's 28 foreign ministers said in a statement, Israel National News reported.
At a meeting in Luxembourg, the ministers came to the opinion that Russian involvement in the crisis only makes things worse, and instead one should look for a peaceful solution.
10 October 2015
US and Russian defense officials conducted a 90-minute video conference on Saturday to discuss the safety of flight operations over Syria, the Pentagon says.
“The discussions were professional and focused narrowly on the implementation of specific safety procedures. Progress was made during the talks, and the US agreed to another discussion with Russia in the near future,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Russian warplanes in Syria have bombed 29 terrorist field camps and other facilities of the militant group Islamic State in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
READ MORE: Russian Air Force destroys 29 ISIS camps in Syria in 24 hours
Russian air forces carried out 67 sorties, striking 60 separate targets in northern Syria in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said on Friday. Two senior Islamic State field commanders are reportedly among the militants killed in the strikes.
READ MORE: Russian airstrikes kill 2 ISIS commanders, 300 militants – Defense Ministry
A new round of US-Russia talks on air safety during their respective military operations in Syria is expected this weekend, the Pentagon said, confirming that it had received a response from the Russian Defense Ministry.
“The Department of Defense has received a formal response from the Russian Ministry of Defense regarding DOD’s proposal to ensure safe air operations over Syria,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters. “Department leaders are reviewing the Russian response and talks are likely to take place as soon as this weekend.”
So far, the goal of the talks has been narrowed down to avoiding accidental collisions when conducting military operations against Islamic State.
08 October 2015
Russia has asked the UK to help its military establish contact with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in order to improve coordination in fighting Islamist State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria, RIA Novosti quoted the Russian Embassy in London as saying.
“[Ambassador of Russia to the United Kingdom] Alexander Yakovenko announced that the Russian side would be grateful to British partners for assistance in establishing contacts with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in what concerns its efforts, as well as those of the Syrian Armed Forces, in the fight against IS and FSA’s possible participation in the political process,” the spokesperson said.
07 October 2015
The United States has not yet received an answer from Russia to their proposals concerning a number of practical steps aimed at avoiding potential conflicts between the two sides in Syria, the White House press-secretary, Josh Ernest, told journalists.
He added that the US would only engage in military cooperation with Russia if it stopped supporting Assad and constructively contributed to the US-led coalition efforts.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Konashenkov said that the Pentagon’s proposals were being considered and “could be accepted for realization,” although some “technical details” still had to be “discussed by the Russian Defense Ministry and the Pentagon at the level of experts.”
The Russian and Turkish militaries have established direct contact in order to avoid any incidents on the border between Turkey and Syria, Russia’s defense minister has announced.
“Today, at the level of the Turkish army’s central control and our [Russian] National Defense Center, a direct contact was established in order to secure our operations near Turkey’s border and to avoid incidents involving border crossings in mid-air,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Aircraft of the US-led coalition conducting strikes against Islamists in Syria were re-routed at least once during the last week in order to avoid a close encounter with Russian planes, the Pentagon has said.
“We’ve had an instance at least where there’s been action taken to make sure we didn’t have an unsafe separation of space,” said Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
“We have had to do re-routing of the course of an airplane,” he added, although he gave no specific details on whether the aircraft involved was manned or a drone or where the incident had taken place.
Russian Su-24 attack aircraft have destroyed ISIS armored vehicles near Aleppo, which were captured by jihadists from the Syrian and Iraqi armies, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
Russian armed forces are using precision-guided munitions in airstrikes against Islamic State, which have “a maximum deviation from the target of less than 5 meters,” Lieutenant General Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Main Operation Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, said.
"All the targets are being thoroughly studied, using the data from space and radio-electronic intelligence, drone footages, the information received from radio intercepts. We are also using data from Syrian, Iranian and Iraqi intelligence, including undercover sources," Kartapolov said.
Each bombing is carried out after a review of all available information and “a computer simulation of the future attack,” he added.
In his speech at a European Parliament plenary session, French President François Hollande urged European countries as well as all parties concerned, including Russia and Iran, to unite to find a political resolution to the Syrian crisis.
“The whole of Europe should join forces for a humanitarian, political and diplomatic plan,” the French president said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
“I call on the whole of Europe to make effort in order to make a political solution possible. It is necessary that all those willing to find a solution to the crisis – Russia, Iran, the Gulf countries, the USA and Europe - continue to act,” he said.
All missiles and bombs fired by the Russian military hit their targets and not a single civilian facility was harmed, the commander of Russia's airspace force, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev said.
"Flight personnel has demonstrated high skills over the elapsed period of time. All bombs and missiles hit targets, without deviations.”
Russia has coordinated the timing of its missile strikes from the Caspian Sea with its partners, the Russian General Staff reported.
“On October 5 and 6, our intelligence located several important Islamic State objectives to be immediately annihilated,” said Lieutenant General Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Main Operation Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces. He added that “it was decided to use long-range cruise missiles to strike these targets.”
“The cruise missile strikes were coordinated with our partners in advance,” he said.
The US is ready to carry out technical discussions with Russia on air safety procedures during international operations in Syria, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday. The discussions will aim to protect pilots and air crews over Syria, the Pentagon chief said, adding that the US is "not prepared to cooperate" with Russia in the fight against Islamic State in the region, as it considers its strategy "flawed."
About 40 percent of Islamic State infrastructure has been destroyed since the beginning of the Russian space-air force operation in Syria with the militants retreating towards the border with Turkey, RIA Novosti reports, citing the Syrian ambassador to Russia.
‘Caliber’ cruise missiles fired by four Russian warships in the Caspian Sea hit Islamic State targets in Syria with an accuracy of 3 meters, TASS reports, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has published a video of its warships firing cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea to hit the positions of Islamic State militants in Syria.
RT's Murad Gazdiev has witnessed Mil Mi-24 helicopters patrolling the Russian air base in Latakia, Syria, preventing possible militant raids. Bomber jets are at their most vulnerable during takeoff and landing when portable shoulder-launched missiles can be fired at them.
Four Russia warships have launched 26 missiles against Islamic State targets in Syria, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said, adding that the missiles were fired by warships in the Caspian Sea.
“Four missile ships launched 26 cruise missiles at 11 targets. According to objective control data, all the targets were destroyed. No civilian objects sustained damage,” Shoigu said.
Baghdad, Russia’s ally in its fight against ISIS, wants Russia to have a bigger role in the anti-terrorist campaign in Iraq than the US and may soon officially request to start airstrikes on its soil, said Hakim al-Zamili, the chairman of Iraqi parliament’s defense committee.
"We might be forced to ask Russia to launch airstrikes in Iraq soon. I think in the upcoming few days or weeks Iraq will be forced to ask Russia to launch airstrikes and that depends on their success in Syria," he said. "We are seeking to see Russia having a bigger role in Iraq... Yes, definitely a bigger role than the Americans.”
The Russian Defense Ministry and the Pentagon are working on an agreement to coordinate military flights in Syria, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, TASS reported.
“The Russian Defense Ministry has responded to the Pentagon’s request and promptly considered the American proposal on coordination of actions in the framework of the fight against the terror group ISIS,” Konashenkov said.
06 October 2015
Russian jets hit 12 Islamic State targets in the course of nearly 20 combat flights carried out in Syria on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said. Command centers and training camps were destroyed in the attacks which threw the extremists into panic.
The Turkish Defense Ministry has proposed establishing a joint working group with Russia to coordinate actions as part of the Russian air operation in Syria. The suggestion was made to a Russian military official at the Russian embassy in Istanbul, Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has released a video showing IS terrorists moving their military vehicles to a mosque in order to shelter them from Russian airstrikes.
“As this example clearly shows, ‘moderate rebels’ would not hide behind civilians as human shields or, moreover, concentrate armored vehicles under the arches of religious institutions. All of these actions can only be the calling card of terrorists,” the Ministry of Defense commented.
READ MORE: ISIS in Syria using mosques as shelters, civilians as shields – Russian Defense Ministry
The Russian Ministry of Defense proposed sharing intelligence data about IS deployment areas with the US-led coalition, RIA Novosti news agency reports.
“We check and crosscheck our data on IS deployment so the data is precise. But if defense ministries of the anti-IS coalition have additional data about the terrorists, we ask them to share them with us,” Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov said.
“We will certainly take it into account when planning operations for our group in Syria,” he added.
All western media reports about alleged Russian airstrikes on the Syrian city of Palmyra are blatant lies, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said.
The commander of the US air campaign in Syria, Lt. Gen. Charles Brown, told CBS on Monday that Russian military planes made the closest contact so far with the American F-16 fighter aircraft. "The closest has been within a handful of miles of our remotely piloted aircraft," said Brown. "But to our manned aircraft they've not been closer than about 20 miles." He added that he had a plan to intensify the bombardment of ISIS sanctuaries in Syria, but B-1 bombers will have to avoid run-ins with the Russians.
05 October 2015
A Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace on Sunday, a Turkish foreign ministry official told Reuters, the second such breach over the past three days, prompting Ankara to once again summon Moscow's ambassador.
READ MORE: Turkey says ‘no tension’ after Russian airspace violation mistake, NATO cries foul
The Russian Air Force carried out fifteen sorties striking ten Islamic State targets on Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reported. An estimated 20 tanks were destroyed near the town of Tadmur in Homs province, the report says. Artillery positions were also struck, with three rocket systems and a munitions warehouse destroyed.
04 October 2015
Syrians living near Tartus and Latakia view the Russian campaign against Islamic State as means to put an end to war, Lindsey Hilsum, international editor for Channel 4 News, wrote in an article for the Guardian.
“We reached the point where the Americans and the Saudis were against us, as well as the rebels, so we asked for help to bring an end to this war,” the Guardian said, citing Munzer Abdullah, a civil servant in Jebleh village next to the Russian Khmeimim airbase near Latakia, where many locals believe the West is supporting Daesh (Islamic State), the article goes on.
In this area, all enemies of the [Syrian] government are regarded as terrorists, the article notes.
“We can see that the Russians are determined to defeat Daesh and the terrorists, whereas by contrast the Americans and their coalition don’t seem to have the same determination,” Safwan al-Saada, the governor of Tartus, is cited as saying. “In the last year they said they were fighting terrorism, but Daesh grew stronger, not weaker, so we can say their coalition is not serious.”
The Russian Defense Ministry has released videos, which it says show Russian Air Force strikes on terrorist facilities.
The Russian Air Force uses high-precision laser-guided H-29L missiles to pierce reinforced terrorist infrastructure, Igor Klimov, Air Force spokesman, said on Sunday.
The H-29L air-to-surface missile armed with 500 kilograms of military-grade explosives is accurate to within two meters and has a combined high explosive and fragmentation effect.
“After the missile is launched, pilot illuminates a target with a laser-controlled aimer while the fighter jet continues to maneuver,” Klimov said.
The H-29L air-to-surface missile is being used by Sukhoi Su-24 and Su-34 bombers.
Russian fighter jets have attacked 10 Islamic State targets in Syria in their latest airstrikes, destroying arms depots, training centers and infrastructure, Defense Ministry says. In the last 24 hours, Russian military aircraft have performed 20 sorties.
READ MORE: Russian Air Force hit 10 ISIS targets in Syria in last 24 hours – Defense Ministry
Russia’s military action in Syria is a "terrible mistake" British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday.
"They are backing the butcher Assad, which is a terrible mistake for them and for the world. It's going to make the region more unstable," Reuters cited the British PM as saying on the first day of Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester.
PM Cameron, who shared his belief that Russia’s airstrikes in Syria have become a dramatic escalation of the foreign involvement in the conflict, maintained that "most of the Russian airstrikes, as far as we've been able to see so far, have been in parts of Syria not controlled by ISIL (Islamic State), but controlled by other opponents of the regime."
Military efforts in Syria are necessary even though they cannot put an end to the war there, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a German radio station.
"Regarding Syria, I said the first time: We will need military efforts, but military efforts will not bring the solution; we need a political process, but that has not really got going very well yet," Reuters cited Merkel as saying to Deutschlandfunk.
In an interview to be broadcasted later on Sunday Merkel also acknowledged the need to get Syrian President Bashar Assad into the peace process.
"To get to a political solution, I need both the representatives of the Syrian opposition and those who are currently ruling in Damascus and others as well to get real successes, and then, above all, the allies of the respective groups,” Merkel said, stressing that both Russia and the US, Saudi Arabia, Iran, together with Germany, France and Britain could play an important role in the process as well.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he did not object to the airstrikes the Russian Air Force is carrying out against Islamic State’s installations in Iraq as long as Moscow gets approval from the Iraqi government, Al Jazeera reports. The PM stressed that eliminating Islamic State and other terrorists in Syria is a priority, adding that a political solution for the Syrian crisis must be sought.
Al-Abadi said that counter-terrorism coordination and exchange of security and intelligence data between Iraq, Russia, Syria, and Iran benefits all four countries. All powers fighting terrorism are welcome, he added.
The aerial operations of the Russian military forces in Syria against Islamic State will “curtail the spread of terrorism” and deliver a “fatal blow to ISIS” in the war-torn country, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said as cited by Al Arabiya.
"Russia's entrance, given its potential and capabilities, is something we see is going to have an effect on limiting terrorism in Syria and eradicating it," Sameh Shoukry said in a televised interview on Saturday.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister believes that airstrikes in Syria demonstrate the “attention Russia pays to the fight against terrorism and the limitation of its spread in Syria” and will eventually help to eradicate terrorism there.
“Russia's entry into this struggle, with its potential and opportunities, in our judgment, will contribute to reduction of the terrorism in Syria, and its eradication,” Sameh Shoukry said in an interview with the Saudi-owned channel, Al Arabiya.
03 October 2015
Washington has notified the Russian Defense Ministry that there were only militants in the areas of Russia’s military operation against IS in Syria, Lieutenant General Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Main Operation Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, told reporters on Saturday. "The Americans informed us during contacts that there was no one except terrorists in this region," he said.
The Russian Air Force has conducted more than 60 flights and bombed over 50 Islamic State targets in three days, according to Russia’s top armed forces official. He added the strikes have significantly reduced the terrorists’ combat capabilities.
“The airstrikes were being conducted night and day from the Khmeimim airbase and throughout the whole of Syria. In three days we managed to undermine the terrorists’ material-technical base and significantly reduce their combat potential,” Lieutenant General Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Main Operation Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, told reporters on Saturday.
He added that according to Russian intelligence the militants are fleeing the area that was in their control.
“There is panic and defection among them. About 600 mercenaries have left their positions and are trying to reach Europe,” he said.
A surgical airstrike by Russian fighter jets has knocked out the battle headquarters of a jihadist group near Raqqa, according to Russian Defense Ministry. Operating from the Khmeimim airbase, the Russian Air Force continues to inflict pinpoint strikes on Islamic State installations.
“Over the past 24 hours, Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24M fighter jets have performed 20 sorties and hit nine Islamic State installations,” Igor Konashenkov, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman, reported.
Military expenditure on the counterterrorist operation in Syria is justified and essential, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the Russia 24 TV channel.
“We are protecting Russian people from the terror threat, because it is better to do it abroad rather than at home,” Medvedev said.
“This expenditure is legitimate with due regard to our country’s current position and the need to upgrade our armed forces,” the PM said, adding that the existing spending pattern is “quite sufficient” to fulfill missions such as the current one in Syria.
02 October 2015
A “surge of military activity” in Syria has forced the UN to suspend pre-planned humanitarian intervention, a spokeswoman for UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said.
The UN had arranged for the evacuation of Sunni fighters and their families' out of the city of Zabadani, on the Lebanese border, which is surrounded by government forces. The UN team also prepared for the safe passage of Shiite civilians in the villages of Foua and Kfary, in Idlib province, which are being held by the rebels.
“The UN calls on all concerned parties to fulfill their responsibilities in the protection of civilians and reach the necessary understandings in order to implement this agreement as soon as possible,” De Mistura's office said in a statement.
The International Information Center in Baghdad is collecting intelligence information on Islamic State activities in both Iraq and Syria, Lieutenant-General, Sergey Kuralenko, representative of the Russian Defence Ministry in Baghdad told RT.
“Its main task is to collect, compile, process and analyze the current inflow of information about the situation in the Middle East within the context of fighting the Islamic State,” Kuralenko said.
Once the information is processed it is quickly shared with command centers in Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria. The Lieutenant-General stressed that all four parties taking part share “equal rights” and “equal access” to information. The information collected, Kuralenko says, is designed to “improve the precision and effectiveness of strikes.”
President Obama has slammed Russia’s policy towards Syria as a "recipe for disaster," saying that its actions are “driving moderate opposition underground and strengthening Islamic State militants.” The US president has accused Moscow of “propping up Assad.”
While stressing the difference in approaches, Obama said this is not a competition between Russia and the US.
“We're not going to make Syria a proxy war between the United States and Russia,” Obama told reporters in the White House as he addressed the nation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured his French counterpart Francois Hollande that the country's military operation in Syria is aimed at fighting terrorists and extremist organizations in the region and preserving Syria's territorial integrity, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
While meeting with the European leader, Putin has emphasized that the Russian mission in Syria is carried out in strict accordance with international law, and at the request of the Syrian government, Peskov said.
Russian jets have performed 14 combats flights, conducting six pinpoint airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
“During the day, the Russian aviation group continued conducting pinpoint airstrikes against the infrastructure of the IS group in Syria,” Defense Ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, said.
“Su-34, Su-24-M and Su-25 planes performed 14 flights from Hmaimim air base, during which six airstrikes against IS targets were conducted,” he added.
Among other targets, a terrorist command center was destroyed by Su-24-M and Su-25 attack aircrafts near the town the Khan Shaykhun in Idlib province.
The United Nations had to suspend planned humanitarian work in Syria as part of a ceasefire agreement due to a surge of military activities, Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria, said.
Aid activities, including evacuations of wounded, had been planned in Zabadani, a town surrounded by pro-government forces near the Lebanon border. Aid was also slated for the rebel-besieged Shia villages of Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province. The aid deal was agreed with UN help and backed by Iran and Turkey.
"The UN calls on all concerned parties to fulfill their responsibilities in the protection of civilians and reach the necessary understandings in order to implement this agreement as soon as possible," de Mistura said in a statement, without making explicit reference to Russia’s air operation in Syria.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has questioned the value of political negotiations and said air strikes against militants in his country are useless if they are not coordinated with his government.
"Terrorism cannot be fought only from the air, and all of the previous operations to combat it have only served its spread and outbreak," Moualem told the United Nations General Assembly.
"Air strikes are useless unless they are conducted in cooperation with the Syrian army, the only force in Syria that is combating terrorism," he told the 193-nation assembly. (Reuters)
The Russian Defense Ministry has released several new videos showing Russian military planes attacking Islamic State targets.
The Russian Ministry of Defense released new combat footage showing Su-24M and Su-25 jets striking terrorist targets in Syria on Thursday.
Based on intelligence gathered from a variety of sources, including “space and drone reconnaissance,” the ministry confirmed the “total destruction” of terrorist targets in Idlib province by Su-24 M jets. One of the targets was an Islamic State command post. The other was a terrorist training camp.
The claims voiced by the US that Russian airstrikes in Syria targeted moderate opposition and civilians are absolutely false, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the RT Arabic channel.
Moscow’s anti-terror operation in Syria “is coordinated [with Damascus] and executed at the request of the Syrian leadership to the Russian authorities. There’s non-stop coordination on this military operation,” he said.
LISTEN MORE:
Departing military planes, high security and constant alert as terrorists are only 40 km from you - RT's Murad Gazdiev has exclusively visited Russian airbase in the Syrian city of Latakia from where Sukhoi jets have been taking off to target Islamic State positions.
Turkey in a joint statement with the US, UK, France, Germany and Gulf Arab allies has called Russia to immediately stop “attacking the Syrian opposition” and focus on battling Islamic State militants. Ankara accused Moscow of triggering “further escalation” of the crisis in Syria and fueling extremism and radicalization.
Over 50 warplanes and helicopters are currently deployed at Russia's air base in Latakia.
Among the models are the Sukhoi Su-34, a strike fighter designed for the supersonic penetration of enemy airspace at treetop level, the Su-24, a tactical bomber that can hit ground targets from low altitudes, and the Ilyushin Il-76, designed for carrying heavy cargo.
01 October 2015
The Russian Ministry of Defense has released two combat footage tapes showing the precise striking of Islamic State targets in Syria, as the Russian Air Force continues to engage hostile targets for the second day running.
The first piece of footage shows a surgical strike carried out by Su-24 M fighter jets on an Islamic State command post near the village of Al-Latamna. According to the Ministry, the target was destroyed.
The second piece of footage shows Russian planes striking a training camp in the Idlib Province of Syria. The fighter jets managed to surgically strike an ammunition warehouse, leading to further explosions and the elimination of the camp, which had been home to military hardware.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the Syrian civil war could be stopped only with Russia’s help as she spoke of the means by which the refugee crisis could be resolved and how to tackle the issues making people flee their homeland.
“That's particularly true of Syria, where we have all known for years that there can only be a solution with Russia and not without Russia,” Merkel said in her speech in eastern Germany, which marked the forthcoming 25th anniversary of the German reunification.
A senior Russian Defense Ministry official said that a video conference took place with its US counterparts at the request of the American side on Thursday.
“The discussion was focused on the issues of establishing regular communications between military experts in order to prevent conflicts of interest in Syrian airspace during operations against Islamic State,” he said.
The official described the talks as “constructive and businesslike,” adding that the sides agreed to continue dialogue.
The Pentagon and Russia’s Defense Ministry have discussed the “deconfliction” of its militaries’ operations in Syria for around an hour on Thursday, White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, said.
It was the first round in a series of discussions on the issue between Washington and Moscow, he added.
According to preliminary US data, Russian airstrikes in Syria targeted areas which had little or no presence of Islamic State forces, Earnest said.
The spokesman called Russian bombardment “indiscriminate” and said the operations risked drawing Moscow more deeply into the conflict.
Russian air strikes in Syria must target Islamic State forces and no other groups there, French president Francois Hollande said on Thursday.
"What just happened confirms one again that a political transition needs to be found without Bashar Assad," Hollande told reporters on the sidelines of an event organized in Paris in response to Russia's operations.
"All the strikes, wherever they come from, must target Daesh", he added. (Reuters)
Russia’s Su-25 and Su-24M attack aircrafts have carried out 8 combat flights in Syria on Thursday, targeting five Islamic State sites, spokesperson for Russia’s Defense Ministry Igor Konashenkov said.
According to the spokesman, data recorders confirm “a complete destruction” of an IS headquarters on the outskirts of Jisr Ash-Shughur city in Idlib province. A training center near the city of Maarrat al-Nu'man in the Idlib province was also destroyed.
Another airstrike hit an ammo depot, which detonated, destroying IS constructions and vehicles nearby.
The warplanes also prevented the attempts by the jihadists to rebuild a command point in the Hama province, which was destroyed by an earlier Russian airstrike on Wednesday.
Russian warplanes targeted an airbase held by Islamic State fighters in northern Syria on Thursday as well as areas in Hama province in the west, Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen TV said.
The strikes hit areas including Tabqa airbase in Raqqa province, an Islamic State stronghold, the channel said in a newsflash. (Reuters)
Lavrov said that Moscow doesn’t view the Free Syrian Army (FSA) opposition group as a terrorist organization, stressing that the FSA should take part in the political process in the country.
The Russian Air Force is bombing Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups in Syria, FM Sergey Lavrov said in New York.
According to Lavrov, those are the same targets of airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition in Syria.
“We have the same approach,” he said.
However, he added that Moscow cannot join the US-led coalition as it was created by “side-stepping international laws,” i.e. without a UN Security Council resolution or the incumbent government’s consent.
Russia has no plans to expand its airstrikes to IS-held territories in Iraq as it hasn’t been invited by the Iraqi authorities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference in New York.
The tasks set for the Russian Air Force in Syria over the last 24 hours have been “fully completed,” said Igor Klimov, a Russian Air Force spokesman.
“Recorders’ data showed that Russian airstrikes hit only the targets belonging to IS terrorist group infrastructure," Klimov said as cited by TASS.
The Russian forces neither planned nor carried out any attacks against civilian infrastructure, he added.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he would welcome a Russian Air Force operation against Islamic State in his country. He added he had been receiving "very useful" information from Russia and Syria on fighting the terrorist group.
"Not yet," Haider al-Abadi told France 24 answering the question if he had already discussed potential airstrikes in Iraq with Russia.
"It is a possibility. If we get the offer we will consider it and I would welcome it," he added.
Russia will assess political and military feasibility of an air force operation against Islamic State in Iraq if Bagdad addresses Moscow with such a request, the Russian Foreign ministry said.
“We will either have a request from the Iraqi government or a UN Security Council resolution, the adoption of which will depend on the Iraqi government. [Only] then will we assess the political and military feasibility [of the operation],” Ilya Rogachev, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry department for new challenges and threats, told RIA Novosti.
US and Russian military officials will hold talks at 15:00 GMT via secure videoconference, a US official told Reuters.
Two Russian airstrikes hit a training camp operated by Syrian rebels who received US military training, Hassan Haj Ali, head of the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal rebel group told Reuters.
A Syrian presidential aide praised Russian air support in the fight against terrorists, slamming the West’s “ineffective” airstrikes. Bouthaina Shaaban, a media adviser to President Bashar Assad, told RT she believes Russian aid will help stabilize the situation in Syria.
Shaaban said that Syria “hopes” that Russia’s assistance will help Damascus “undermine terrorism” and “restore peace and security.”
“But it’s not only against Islamic State. I don’t know why people … forget about Jabhat al-Nusra, although the [UN] Security Council resolution spoke about or considered both Al Nusra and IS terrorist organizations."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have discussed confronting Islamic State in the Middle East and solutions for the Syrian crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows airstrikes on IS infrastructure near Idlib and al-Latamna.
Russian airstrikes on Wednesday night targeted four Islamic State facilities, Konashenkov said.
“A terrorist HQ and an ammunition depot were destroyed near Idlib, as were a fortified three-level command center near Hama. A direct bomb hit also completely destroyed a workshop north of Homs that produced explosives and ammunition,” he added.
The Russian Air Force in Syria includes over 50 warplanes and helicopters, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said.
“The air group was deployed at very short notice. It was possible because we had most of the materiel and ammunition ready at our depot in Tartus. We only had to move our aircraft and deliver some extra equipment,” Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, told media.
Reports of alleged casualties among civilians caused by Russian airstrikes in Syria emerged even before Russian warplanes were launched for their first combat mission, President Vladimir Putin said, branding such reports 'information attacks.'
“As for media reports claiming the civilian population is suffering, we are prepared for such information attacks. The first reports about civilian casualties emerged even before our planes were in the air,” he said.
Virtually simultaneously, reports started surfacing on social media saying Russia is not targeting terrorists. Instead, they claimed Russian warplanes hit residential areas, killing dozens of civilians. Others said there was no IS presence in the attacked areas and these positions were actually held by “moderate rebels.”
Russia selects the targets for its airstrikes in cooperation with the Syrian military, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian president, told the media.
“We have a list of terrorist organizations. We know them,” he said.
Peskov said it was too early to assess the results of the bombing campaign. He added the operation would continue until a deadline, which coincides with “the end of the offensive operation of the Syrian army.”
He said Russian special services are working to thwart possible terrorist attacks, which Islamic State fighters may attempt in Russia as retaliation for the airstrikes.
The spokesman also urged confirming all information coming from Syria very carefully, because there was plenty of biased, distorted or patently false information coming from the region.
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that "anyone thinking of a solution to the Syrian crisis must think of a Syria without Assad," during his address to the UN General Assembly, in New York on Wednesday. "Every minute he stays in power adds on the shame of those that support him," Davutoglu added. The prime minister also admitted to "combatting" the Kurdistan's Workers Party (PKK), as well as "Daesh."
Moscow has always stated openly and on numerous occasions that its goal is to help the Syrian government fight ISIS as well as other terrorist groups, and no-one else, FM Lavrov reiterated. However, the Western partners’ attitude seems to be that Russia should only be allowed to strike ISIS positions, while targeting members of other terrorist groups would be “bad,” the minister added.
“There were some concerns on the part of our American partners that some of the targets of our air strikes were allegedly wrong. They expressed these concerns to us, insisting they had some kind of evidence. So we asked them to show it, because we take full responsibility for our targets,” Lavrov said.
While differences remain over the future of Assad as the leader of Syria, Russia’s foreign minister Lavrov has noted a significant adjustment in the Western partners’ stance.
“I cannot give the assessment as to why the US has changed their position. But if we take their previous statements from a couple of years ago – when they vocally declared that Assad totally lost his legitimacy and when the so-called Syrian National Coalition was accepted by our western partners as the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people – then of course it is such a long way forward compared to the statements we hear today,” said Lavrov.
“So I think we are seeing an adjustment in their stance, because the reality has shown that one cannot really push through ultimatums to remove the president of a sovereign country in a situation when you have such a crisis in the country.”
30 September 2015
The prime minister of Iraq says that Russian strikes against ISIS targets would be “beneficial” in driving jihadists out, claiming that he “welcomes” any country willing to fight terrorism.
“Don’t forget Iraq was attacked from across the Syrian border into Iraq by Daesh, by ISIL, and that cost us a lot of human costs in terms of people killed, people being kidnapped, people being enslaved,” PM Haider al-Abadi told PBS NewsHour.
Abadi also said that he might request similar Russian air support in Iraq if necessary, under the condition that the air campaign is coordinated with the US-led coalition.
In the meantime Iraq, the capital of which hosts a coordination center for intelligence-sharing with Russia, Syria and Iran, according to Abadi, will not share any US-gathered intelligence with the other three countries in the alliance.
Sergey Lavrov has refuted rumors of Russian airstrikes hitting non-terrorist infrastructure in Syria as groundless, emphasizing that there have been no verified reports of any civilian casualties.
“Talks have already started that civilians were hurt during the strikes. We have no data of this,” Lavrov told Russian media. “We are watching very carefully that these surgical strikes are surgical, that they exclusively target the positions, infrastructure, equipment of armed terrorist groups.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed that he agreed with his Russian counterpart that it was necessary to push forward the talks between the two countries’ militaries as soon as possible.
“We agreed on the imperative of, as soon as possible – perhaps even as soon as tomorrow, but as soon as possible – having a military-to-military deconfliction discussion,” Kerry told the press.
“Secondly, we did discuss a number of different ways to try to address the conflict itself, and several options were agreed to be further discussed. I need to take those back to Washington to the President and to our team, and I’m sure Sergey will likewise discuss them with President Putin and his team, and we will follow up on that for certain,” Secretary Kerry added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has held the third meeting in the space of only a few days with US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss cross-country coordination to resolve the Syrian crisis.
“Today we devoted our meeting to what our presidents agreed when they met here on September 28. The first instruction to us was to make sure that the military of the United States – the coalition led by the United States on the one hand – and the military of the Russian Federation – now engaged in some operations at the request of the Syrian government – get in touch and establish channels of communication to avoid any unintended incidents,” Lavrov told the press after the meeting.
“We also discussed what the presidents told us about promoting the political process. We all want Syria democratic, united, secular; a Syria which is a home to all ethnic and confessional groups whose rights are guaranteed,” the Russian minister said.
“However, we have some differences as to the details on how to get there. But we agreed on some steps, which we and our experts will undertake very soon together, with other countries, including the United Nations, on creating the conditions for options to be applied to promote the political process,” Lavrov added. “I believe this meeting, as a follow-up to the discussions between the two presidents, is a very useful occasion to promote constructive and safe approaches to the situation in Syria and around it.”
“We agreed that the militaries should get into contact with one another very soon.”
The Kremlin has abstained from giving any details of the operation with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterating President Putin’s earlier statement that it is “temporary support to the Syrian Armed Forces." When asked about deadlines, Peskov refused to answer the question.
Sergey Lavrov met with US Secretary of State John Kerry after both diplomats gave speeches at the United Nations Security Council.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called on reporters in the West to “listen to” Russia’s Defense Ministry but not to the Pentagon when it comes to Russia’s actions in Syria.
“Don’t listen to Pentagon about Russia’s strikes, address Russian Defense Ministry,” Larvov said.
NATO has voiced its concerns over the possibility that Russia's air strikes in Syria do not target ISIS positions as well as over the lack of communication between Russia and the US.
“I'm concerned about the reports saying that the Russian air strikes were not targeted against ISIL,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. "I'm especially concerned because there has been no real effort by the Russian side to deconflict the Russian air strikes in Syria with the ongoing US-led coalition fighting ISIL."
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter would not say if the US gave Russia any advance warning of coalition airstrikes over Aleppo on Wednesday, but said that the talks between the two countries’ defense ministries would cover what kinds of information should be exchanged going forward to avoid incidents of friendly fire.
US-led airstrikes in Syria will continue despite Russia's actions, Carter said, adding that the coalition doesn’t “intend to make any changes in our air operations.”
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that Pentagon had no confirmations of reports of civilian casualties during airstrikes carried out by Russia on Wednesday. He noted that the US and its coalition partners make sure that there are no civilian casualties when performing their strikes, despite reports of the contrary.
Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said that the US believes it is impossible to both fight Islamic State in Syria and support President Bashar Assad at the same time because it “only risks escalating the civil war in Syria," and “is tantamount… to pouring gasoline on the fire.” Therefore a "political transition" from the Assad regime must be one of the aims of intervention, he said.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is sending a Defense Department team to meet with their counterparts in Russia “to ensure that we avoid any inadvertent incidents over Syrian airspace.” He said that he believes that the talks to de-conflict the situation there will be “very constructive.”
Germany does not want the UN to split over the Syrian issue and has called on everyone to support political changes in Syria, said German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
France welcomes everyone willing to collaborate with the anti-terrorist coalition in Syria but only on certain conditions, French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, said. He also claimed that an inquiry should be made into the Russian air strikes in Syria. “If they [the air strikes] really targeted Islamic State… it is welcomed,” Fabius said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
“Those, who are really willing to win in Syria, should cooperate and coordinate their actions with the Syrian government, the country’s army is fighting terrorists doing its duty,” Walid Muallem said at the UN Security Council meeting, adding that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and “some Western countries” support and finance illegal armed groups fighting in Syria.
Russia has struck eight Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) targets in Syria, the country’s Defense Ministry said, adding that civilian infrastructure was avoided during the operations.
READ MORE: 8 ISIS targets hit during 20 combat flights in Syria – Russian military
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond welcomed Russia's intent to use force against Islamic State militants in Syria.
However, he stressed that Moscow must confirm its air strikes actually targeted Islamic State and Al-Qaeda-linked groups, not Western-backed rebel fighters.
"Actions in support of the [Syrian] regime are incompatible with the effective prosecution of the war against ISIL in Syria," Hammond told the UN Security Council.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Washington would have "grave concerns" if Russian airstrikes hit Syrian targets where Islamic State fighters were not present.
Speaking at the UN Security Council, Kerry once again stated that IS “cannot be defeated as long as Bashar Assad remains president of Syria.”
The airstrikes by the US-led coalition in Syria will continue despite the start of the Russian operation, he added.
The US regards the actions of Russian aviation in Syria as “dangerous,” since no “deconfliction” talks have yet been held between the two country’s militaries, a U.S. official told Reuters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said that US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart have discussed the situation on the phone.
The NATO press service has confirmed that the block was notified by Moscow about its plan to provide military assistance to Syria.
Damascus has full trust in Russia’s and President Putin’s stance on tackling terrorism in Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said.
Russia has “officially informed NATO leadership” about the beginning of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, Russia’s permanent mission to the alliance told Tass.
Stovepiping in the western media about Russian operation in Syria had taken place even before the upper chamber of the Russian parliament approved the use of the country’s military in Syria, the Russian Foreign ministry said. “This is the information war, for which somebody has prepared fairly well,” said Maria Zakharova, head of the press department of Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Moscow’s decision to deploy the Russian Air Force in Syria is an important positive step in fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the Sputnik news agency.
"Yes, any development against Daesh [Islamic State]," Zarif said.
"It is important. It will move people to decide about the real political solution, so it [the war] comes to its end," the Iranian minister added.
Moscow believes it’s necessary to include Islamic State and those who support them in the UN Security Council’s anti-terrorist sanction list, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York.
“Delays in addressing this obvious issue are becoming counterproductive in terms of the effectiveness of counter-terrorism efforts of the United Nations,” Lavrov said.
US planes continue to fly in Syria despite Russia’s warning to clear the airspace, a US official told Reuters.
Russia will deliver preemptive strikes against terrorists, Vladimir Putin said.
According to the Russian president, Moscow is interested in other nations joining its counterterrorism effort in Syria. Those willing to do so can join the intelligence sharing center in Baghdad, which Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran established in the run-up to the operation, the president said.
“All our partners have been informed about the plans and actions of Russia on Syrian situation,” he said.
Russian airstrikes in Syria do not appear to be targeting areas controlled by IS militants, a US official told Reuters.
Russia has informed the US embassy in Baghdad about the use of the Russian Air Force in Syria, the Pentagon official told RIA Novosti.
The coordination center in Iraq will monitor the airstrikes on positions of Islamic State, Riad Haddad, Syria’s ambassador to Moscow told TASS.
“The coalition of US and their allies hasn’t yielded any results. The geographic territory of IS is expanding, they have captured and continue capturing more cities and villages.”
The North Atlantic Council [NATO] is monitoring Russian military in Syria and “will continue doing so,” an official from the alliance press service told TASS.
US sources said Russia has already started military operation against Islamic State militants in Syria. The official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Russia gave the US 60 minutes’ notice of the operations.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mihail Bogdanov said Russia will inform its foreign partners of its game plan in Syria “during the course of the day.”
The bombing campaign is time-limited, the head of the presidential administration Sergey Ivanov told media. He said he was not authorized to disclose details of the operation such as the number of warplanes involved.
“All our partners and allies will be informed about our decision today through corresponding military channels. Specific military information will be provided as well, I believe,” he said.
Russia’s upper chamber has given the go-ahead to President Putin’s request to send military aid to Syria in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), said Sergey Ivanov, the Kremlin’s cabinet chief.
“The President of the Syrian Arab Republic has appealed to our government with a request for military assistance… There is a need to fight terrorism, and to unite our efforts. But in so doing, we must remain mindful of international law,” Ivanov told reporters.
He also said the US and France had circumvented international law with their campaign of airstrikes in Syria for some time, as no UN resolution had been secured.
Military engagement in Syria would not result in Russia being mired in conflict, Konstantin Kosachev, head of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, said commenting on the news.
“We would not risk getting stuck in a long conflict and threaten the lives of our troops. The operation is aerial only. Certainly, in coordination with the ground operation of the Syrian army,” he told the Rossiya 24 news channel.
The request for use of force was sent by the president after considering the large number of Russian citizens and neighboring countries, who went to join terrorist groups fighting in Syria, head of the presidential administration Sergey Ivanov told media.
“This is not about reaching for some foreign policy goals, satisfying ambitions, which our Western partners regularly accuse us of. It’s only about the national interest of the Russian Federation,” the official said.
He added that no ground operations are expected for Syria.
“The military goal of the operation is strictly to provide air support for the [Syrian] government forces in their fight against Islamic State,” he said.