Image copyright Reuters The Russian military will soon begin consultations with their American counterparts to avoid “unintended incidents” in Syria – it was announced in a joint Press Conference by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
According to the Secretary of State, he hoped that the consultations with the Russian side will begin on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Russian Defense confirmed the information that the Russian military have caused the first air strikes on militant positions extremist group “Islamic State” in Syria, having made about 20 missions.
On the morning of September 30, the Federation Council authorized the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, the use of Russian armed forces on the territory of Syria.
Shortly before the fate of the country and its president Bashar al-Assad has been the subject of negotiations between Putin and US President Barack Obama.
According to the American side, the Russian jets have air strikes in the area the city of Homs, under the control of government forces.
According to the Syrian state agency SANA, Russian aviation bombed “lair”, “Islamic state” in the crease, Tall Bissau Zafarani, Tulul Al-Khumri, Aydin, Deir -Fule and Salam.
“information attack”?
SANA referring to the representative of the Syrian army said that the air strikes, which involved Russian frontline bombers Su-24 “were precise and led to huge losses in the ranks of IG”.
Meanwhile, activists of the Syrian opposition from the organization “Local Coordination Committees” (ICC) stated that as a result of air strikes by the Russian military in five towns north of Homs, killing dozens of civilians, including several children.
Activists point out that none of the areas for which a strike is not controlled “Islamic state”.
“Russia is not at war with LIH [group" Islamic State "- Bi-bi-si]. It uses military force to support the war waged by the Assad regime against civilians. She is at risk of being implicated in war crimes. The international community must condemn Russia and to take urgent measures to protect Syrian citizens by banning aerial bombardments, “- said on this occasion the chairman of the National Coalition of Syrian revolutionary and opposition forces Khaled Khoja.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova called the appearance of reports of civilian casualties “information attack”.
“It is not time to Russia to deploy an operation to counter the LIH, which, as has been said many times, on the request of an official of Damascus, had not time to sound the first words of Lavrov’s the UN Security Council, have gone many stuffing in the media that in the course of Russian operations killed civilians and that it is aimed at the democratic forces of the country “, – she told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday.
” All of this – information attack, war, of which we have so often heard “- said Zakharov.
What is Russia?
The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed that the air strikes Syria applied exclusively on positions of militants “Islamic state”.
Meanwhile, in Baghdad began working center for information coordination in the fight against the IG with the participation of troops from Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
In Moscow, insisting that the operation is carried out in the framework of international law, as it follows the appeal leadership of the country whose territory is applied airstrikes.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said that the Russian military intervention takes place in the framework of the Moscow-led coalition, approved by the government in Damascus, in contrast to the US-led coalition that the Assad government considers “unreliable and ineffective”.
Former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus, however, expressed the view that the immediate purpose of Putin is now the creation of a corridor along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, between the air base at Latakia and Tartus, where Russia has a point Service Russian Navy.
As suggested by Petraeus, Putin first of all wants to strengthen the shaky position of Bashar Assad, born with the recent defeat in the battle with the IG and the troops of the Syrian opposition.
“If Russia wanted to fight against “Islamic state, it could join an international coalition of more than 60 countries, which acts as effectively coordinate General Allen and bombed the IG. They (Russians) have features that would be useful in this battle, so it’s clearly not what they want, “- said Petraeus.
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