The head of the Syrian opposition, Khaled Khoja, said the initial airstrikes killed civilians and that it was “very obvious” Russian Federation didn’t go into Syria with ISIS in mind.
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Russian military jets deployed in Syria carried out a few 20 combat missions striking at least eight ISIL targets located in mountainous regions, Igor Konashenkov said Sept.30.
Here & Now’s Robin Young turns to security analyst Jim Walsh to discuss this escalating conflict that now involves just about all world’s major powers.
The Russian defence ministry said five sites were attacked and an Islamic State (IS) command post at Jisr al-Shughour was destroyed.
A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Russia’s airstrikes in Syria are targeting not only Islamic State militants but also other extremist groups.
Orlov said the targets were installations for Islamic State and the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, “two terrorist organizations recognized as such”.
Putin denied reports that civilians were killed in the strikes, calling the allegations “information attacks” in a meeting at the Kremlin on Thursday.
Carter said the Russians should not be supporting the Assad government and their military moves are “doomed to fail”.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference that Moscow was not planning to expand its air strikes to Iraq.
But western diplomats revealed Wednesday that its first targets were in parts of Syria far from Isis strongholds, including a US-backed rebel group called Tajammu al-Izza.
It points to an emerging military alliance between Russian Federation and Assad’s other main allies – Iran and Hezbollah – focused on recapturing areas of northwestern Syria that were seized by insurgents in rapid advances earlier this year.
“These organizations are well known and the targets are chosen in co-ordination with the armed forces of Syria,” he said, without giving specific names.
Senator Payne said engagement with Russia’s ambassador in Canberra would be a matter for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who was now in New York attending the United Nations general assembly. The airstrikes included areas in central Homs and Hama provinces.
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Russian Federation has sided with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States has backed opposition forces and insisted that the embattled president must step down.
