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US says too soon for Syrian opposition to attend talks in Russia

Russia’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the size of the Russian contingent in Syria or any casualties it has suffered.

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“They need to do what we saw in Vienna”, he said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes believed to be either Russian or those of the Syrian regime bombed the Islamic State group’s de facto capital Raqa on Tuesday, killing at least 23 people including 13 jihadists.

But No 10 Downing Street said he was still seeking the support of MPs to enable military intervention.

World powers must identify which of the dozens of rebel groups fighting in Syria are “terrorists” before resuming talks on establishing a limited cease-fire and moving toward a solution to the conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Mr Khoja said last week that a Russian campaign of air strikes in Syria was meant to prop up Mr Al Assad and had helped ISIL.

“Despite our urging, Moscow has yet to stop the Assad regime’s horrific practice of barrel bombing the Syrian people”, Patterson said.

The Syrian civil war has claimed more than 250,000 lives since 2011 and made the country the world’s single-largest source of refugees and displaced people.

The prime minister took IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot with him to Moscow in late September, and during that meetings the sides chose to establish a mechanism of mutual warning to avoid clashes in Syrian airspace.

A U.S.-led coalition is also carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State extremist targets in Syria, and last week U.S. President Barack Obama announced the deployment of about 50 US special-forces troops to support and advise local fighters battling Islamic State militants.

De Mistura has since been to Damascus to brief the government on the talks and called for new ceasefires on the ground to build on the diplomatic efforts.

“We are ready, the United Nations is ready, to start immediately with this process in Geneva”, de Mistura said. “When? As soon as possible”.

The road links the northern province and city of Aleppo with central provinces and is the government’s supply route to the city.

This strategic mountainous region is now under full control of the Syrian army.

Advancing IS forces cut off the route at the end of October.

Russian and U.S. air forces held a joint training exercise in Syria on Tuesday aimed at preventing unsafe encounters between their aircraft, Russia’s defence ministry said.

They have also continued to pound the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area outside Damascus.

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Despite the Russian air strikes, the offensives have failed to make significant advances, the US officials and independent experts said.

EPA  ALEXEY DRUZHINYN  RIA NOVOSTI  POOL