The Obama administration is grappling with a dramatic change in the four-year-old Syrian civil war brought about by Moscow’s intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad. There was no independent confirmation of the death toll. The increased pace of attacks was aimed at preventing militants from re-grouping and dispersing in populated areas, the ministry said.
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In the previous updates, the Moscow had been reporting hitting about 10 targets daily.
Ayyoub said that the offensive targeted rebel enclaves in Hama, Homs, Latakiya and Idlib provinces, although reports from Syrian opposition activists said that most of Thursday’s fighting took place in Hama and Latakiya. “We are in constant dialog and assessing the situation with Turkey, but the main thing is we have a duty to reinforce”, he said. That area is vital to Assad’s survival. He did not spell out details but said Defense Secretary Ash Carter had directed that “equipment packages and weapons” be provided to “a select group of vetted leaders and their units”. “Yes they are participating”. The USA has had success working, for example, with Syrian Kurds and Sunni Arab rebel groups in northern Syria.
Russian Federation is increasing the number of air strikes against Islamic State in Syria, its defence ministry has said.
The Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment.
On Friday, Islamic State insurgents seized villages in the same province from rival insurgents, in battles close to the city of Aleppo. Russian bombs and missiles have hit specific buildings associated with the moderate Syrian opposition, according to a USA official briefed on the intelligence.
Speaking of the weaponry used in the strikes – including cruise missiles Russian Federation fired from the Caspian Sea at targets more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) away -Putin dismissed the idea that Russian Federation was in a “arms race” with the West.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter speaks about Russian airstrikes in Syria during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on September 30. The Kremlin has also indicated that it might engage its troops in ground operations in Syria. Nevertheless, the U.S. military said on Saturday that its planes had bombed 25 Isis targets in Syria and Iraq overnight, but did not elaborate.
The idea is to begin small and then build up the level of US support for these established rebel groups, based on their performance.
Barack Obama’s decision to shelve a controversial plan to train Syrian rebels is the latest sign that the White House is searching – often fruitlessly – for options to scale back its involvement in a deadly and seemingly intractable conflict.
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Senior Iranian officials have been in Syria for several years as military advisers. Previously, at least 40 civilians were killed on the first day of the Russian airstrikes last week. The conflict has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions, causing a refugee crisis in neighbouring nations and in Europe.
