Russian Federation says it is mainly targeting the Islamic State and other “terrorists”, but the multi-pronged ground-and-air offensive is being waged in areas controlled by mainstream rebels as well as the Nusra Front.
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Washington and Europe, however, accuse Moscow of targeting “moderate” groups that oppose the Syrian leader, rather than IS, and say ousting Assad is key to ending the bloody four-year conflict.
The FSB said the would-be bombers had returned to Russian Federation long before Moscow began its campaign of air strikes in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the end of September.
Syrian Arab rebels said they had been told by Washington that new weapons were on their way to help them launch a joint offensive with their Kurdish allies on the city of Raqqa, the de facto Islamic State capital.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a USA official told AFP the drop included 50 tonnes of ammunition.
Umarov was reported dead in March 2014 by the militant group he led, the Caucasus Emirate, and since then a few of its members have sworn loyalty to Islamic State.
The FSB said a few of the suspects had been trained by Islamic State militants and were plotting a terrorist attack on Moscow’s public transport.
Putin met Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of a Formula One race in a Russian resort on Sunday.
Also, for the Kremlin, this is an opportunity to boost patriotism among Russians by using state media and to portray this Russian operation in Syria as a successful story about to bring law and order to Syria, something US-led coalition failed to do.
“The new Russian invasion is the last dart in the weaponry of the enemies of Muslims and the enemies of Syria”, said Golani, whose extremist Muslim Sunni fundamentalist group is one of the most powerful forces fighting Assad’s government.
“Assad should leave and the Saudis will continue strengthening and supporting the moderate opposition in Syria”, the source said. A few countries, including Turkey and the United Kingdom, have called Russia’s intervention in the region a “mistake”.
“The terrorists in the past days were desperately trying to transport ammunition, armaments, fuel and supplies from Raqqa to the frontline”, the ministry said, in reference to the northern province controlled by the Islamic State group, adding that a “significant part” of their supplies have been destroyed by Russian airstrikes. As in the past, it described all targets as belonging to Islamic State, although most of the areas it said it had struck are not held by that group.
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The Syrian army and Hezbollah on Sunday took control of Tal Skik on the other side of the highway in southern Idlib province. It also said the army had seized Jub al-Ahmar, a highland area in Latakia province that will put more rebel positions in the nearby Ghab Plain within range of the army’s artillery.
