While Russia has made its intentions clear, counter-terrorism officials in the USA are anxious that the Russian action will unify local military groups and energise recruitment in the Caucasus, North Africa and the Middle East. There is also a huge possibility that militants would set aside their differences to fight against common enemies – the Assad government and the Russians.
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However, Russian defence ministry spokesman Igro Konashenkov said Russian fighter jets carried out 20 flights, striking eight IS targets, including weapons depots, ammunition, communications infrastructure and fuel.
Russian jets have continued to bomb rebel positions in Syria today including rural areas near then northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour, which is held by an alliance of insurgents including al Qaeda’s Nusra Front, Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen TV said.
In the United Kingdom, Tory MP Colonel Bob Stewart, who sits on the UK’s defence select committee, backed the Russian attack, suggesting Assad was a more welcome ally than the Islamic State.
No armament was used to target civilian facilities or within their vicinity, he added.
Russian Federation launched its first overt airstrikes Wednesday, as part of a campaign whose rhetoric focused on targeting Islamic State.
“These organizations are well known and the targets are chosen in coordination with the armed forces of Syria“, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Thursday.
David McDonald, University of Wisconsin-Madison history professor and expert on the politics of contemporary Russian Federation, said the one thing underlying Putin’s whole approach to Syria is to defend the principle of the sovereignty of established governments.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Kerry told Lavrov the Russian move “runs counter to their stated efforts of de-confliction and is not helpful to that effort”.
Genevieve Casagrande of the Institute of the Study of War, using an alternative acronym for IS, said the air strike on Talbisah, “did not hit Isis militants and rather resulted in a large number of civilian casualties”.
Moscow said that it targeted “terrorists” in Syria, where ruthless movements such as the Islamic State group have emerged amid the brutal conflict.
The Homs area is crucial to President Bashar al-Assad’s control of western Syria. An unnamed senior defense official at the time said that the USA would ignore it and continue operating as normal.
With American and allied airstrikes daily, and now Russian warplanes in the Syrian airspace, the war is taking on a risky new dimension.
The claim could not be independently verified.
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He said the decision was taken after Assad asked Russian Federation for military support, a request confirmed by Damascus.
