Russia says it has intensified its air raids on what it calls “terrorist” targets in Syria and raised to 69 the number of its aircraft there.
But President Vladimir Putin said the current level of attacks was not enough to defeat so-called Islamic State (IS).
Russia said it fired cruise missiles for a fourth day against IS targets. The long-range missiles were launched from Caspian Sea warships.
Some missiles hit IS in strategically important Deir al-Zour, reports say.
The IS-held town in eastern Syria lies between the IS self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa and territory that the jihadists also control in neighbouring Iraq.
Deir al-Zour province is also rich in oil.
The Russian military says it fired 18 cruise missiles on Friday, destroying seven “Islamist” targets in Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo provinces.
Col Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for US Central Command, said the Russian air strikes in recent days targeted more IS areas, including the group’s oil infrastructure.
But he added that “the majority of Russian air strikes are still against moderate Syrian opposition forces, which is clearly concerning, and those strikes are in support of the Syrian regime” of President Bashar al-Assad.
‘Revenge for our dead’
A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian and Russian warplanes conducted 50 bombing raids in Deir al-Zour province – Russia’s most intense assault there to date.
The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says that in the Russian defence ministry video soldiers can be seen writing messages on the bombs before loading them onto the aircraft – phrases like: “This is revenge for our dead” and “This is for Paris”.
‘Revenge for our dead’
A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian and Russian warplanes conducted 50 bombing raids in Deir al-Zour province – Russia’s most intense assault there to date.
The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says that in the Russian defence ministry video soldiers can be seen writing messages on the bombs before loading them onto the aircraft – phrases like: “This is revenge for our dead” and “This is for Paris”.
Turkey warned that bombing villages populated by the Turkmen minority could lead to “serious consequences”.
Syrian government forces backed by Russian aircraft launched a ground offensive on the mainly Turkmen villages in Bayir Bucak, north-west Latakia province, on Thursday, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported.
The Turkish government is vehemently opposed to President Assad, while Russia says its air campaign is justified because Mr Assad has requested it.(BBC News)
Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34882503
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