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Defense Secretary: “It Does Appear” Russian Federation Bombed Areas Of Syria Unoccupied By

The USA is not opposed to Russian military action in Syria as long as it is targeted against IS and groups linked to al-Qaeda.

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Smoke rises after air strikes by military jets in Talbiseh, Homs province.

The US says it does not object to Russian Federation targeting ISIS, but fears that attacks on other groups will make the Syrian conflict even bloodier.

Moscow had previously framed its campaign as primarily aimed at Islamic State militants, saying it feared Russian and other ex-Soviet citizens who belong to the group would shift their focus to their home countries if they were not stopped in Syria.

He also noted that the terrorist and extremist organizations, which are being struck by Russian Federation in Syria, are defined in coordination with Syrian armed forces.

The USA and Russian Federation agree on the need to fight the Islamic State but not about what to do with President Bashar Assad.

John Kerry was addressing the United Nations Security Council hours after Russian jets hit targets in Syria.

Carter said of the strikes, “It does appear that they were in areas where there probably were not ISIL forces, and that is precisely one of the problems with this whole approach”.

“The targets, notably a command centre of the terrorists, were completely destroyed”, the ministry said in a statement.

Wednesday’s meeting between the two officials was the third this week on the sidelines of the General Assembly and came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama met on Monday afternoon. “And, it is one thing obviously to be targeting ISIL, we’re concerned obviously if that is not what is happening”, said Kerry. “They have said quite clearly that they intend to deploy forces and conduct strikes there”.

Pentagon officials have described Russia’s buildup of military hardware in the Latakia region in northwestern Syria and said Russian Federation is making a forward operating base there.

A Russian air strike Wednesday killed 36 civilians, the head of Syria’s main opposition group told the media, as he accused Moscow of seeking to strengthen the regime.

Putin, speaking in Moscow, said the air strikes would be limited and said he hoped Assad was ready for political reform and a compromise for the sake of his country and people.

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The former USA officer added that deconfliction talks between Moscow and Washington would reduce the risk of operational miscalculation “assuming both sides provide accurate information”.

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