Sulaimaniyah airport director Tahir Abdullah said the decision was taken “because of the intensification of Russian missile attacks on Daesh strongholds in Syria”.
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In the United Nations, member states backed a motion calling for action against Islamic State a week after the Paris attacks, the worst on French soil also claimed by the jihadist group based in Syria and Iraq. He said the Russian military air fleet in Syria was reinforced by 8 Su-34 bombers and a unit of SU-27SM3 jet fighters.
“Over the past 48 days, the Russian air grouping has performed 2,289 sorties and delivered 4,111 missile and bomb strikes against major infrastructure facilities and the concentrations of the militants’ armor and personnel”, he said.
Just to make sure the ISIS terrorists on the ground got the message, Russian airmen on one mission inscribed the side of their bombs with the slogan “That’s for Paris”.
It also said that Russian planes destroyed 15 oil refining and storage facilities in Syria and 525 trucks carrying oil during this week’s bombing blitz.
The campaign already appears to be having some effect, with oil prices rising in areas of Syria that rely on crude smuggled out of Islamic State areas.
Russian Federation has stepped up its attacks on the Islamic State (Isis) militant group in Syria, bombarding targets with cruise missiles from warships in the Mediterranean and Caspian seas.
Russian long-range bombers and navy ships have launched 101 cruise missiles in four days, including 18 fired on Friday by Russian navy ships from the Caspian Sea.
Russian politicians have stated the need for the West and the Kremlin to put aside past transgressions and join together against ISIS terrorists in Syria, according to Reuters.
The Russian interior ministry’s video of a small, fluffy German Shepherd puppy playing ball with a Russian policeman contrasts sharply with the macho image President Vladimir Putin has cultivated.
It was the second time that warships have been used since the start of the bombing campaign on September 30.
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“There are fears for the aircraft and passengers due to Russian missiles”, said Talar Faeq, director general of Erbil airport.
