The naval bombardment happened as Russia and Syria planned coordinated attacks on Islamist factions in Western Syria, inside the Hama and Idlib provincnes. The United States has been vocal in its opposition of Russia’s involvement in Syria. This has created more conflict in the multi-faction civil war. However, according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, a cooperation is in the works between the United States and Russia, which conflicts with earlier reports that the talks between the two countries is over how to share the crowded airspace above Syria and not about joining them in their military campaign.
A ministry spokesman, quoted by Russia’s Tass news agency, said the ministry responded to a Pentagon request. It then “swiftly considered” the U.S. proposals to coordinate.
“We just need to specify some technical details that will be discussed today by representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry and the Pentagon at the expert level,” Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told Tass.
The U.S. military recently had to divert one aircraft over Syria to ensure it could maintain a safe flying distance from a Russian fighter, a Pentagon representative said. Until the two countries agree on mutual flight safety rules in Syrian airspace, U.S. pilots are under orders to change their flight path if a Russian plane is within 20 nautical miles, a senior defense official told CNN.
Opposition group reports fierce clashes
Russian warplanes conducted heavy airstrikes Wednesday on Islamist factions, accompanied by shelling from government forces, according to the UK-based, anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The head of the observatory said there were no ISIS positions in the areas targeted and that fierce clashes were taking place on the ground between regime forces and their allies and armed Islamist rebel factions, including the Ahrar al-Sham and al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.
Wednesday’s clashes are the fiercest in the last month, the observatory said.
Russia has said it is targeting ISIS, al-Nusra Front and “other terrorist groups” as recognized by the U.N. Security Council or Russian law.
Syria’s ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad, said Wednesday that around 40% of ISIS infrastructure had been destroyed since Moscow’s military operation began, Russia’s state-run Sputnik International reported.
“According to our data, about 40 percent (was destroyed). In addition, a lot of terrorists have been killed. Now, they are retreating toward the Turkish border,” Sputnik quoted Haddad as saying.
‘Substantial military buildup’
But Turkey, Syria’s neighbor to the north, cast fresh doubt Wednesday on whether Russia’s goal was to go after SIS.
A fraction — 3.5% — of Russia’s airstrikes in Syria so far have targeted the terror group, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.
“These air raids are not against ISIS. There were 57 air raids by Russian air forces. Fifty-five of them were against moderate opposition and only two were against Daesh, according to military information we received,” Turkey’s Anadolu news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying, reflecting government thinking. Daesh is another name for ISIS.
The U.S. Embassy in Syria also questioned Russia’s targets.
While the crowded airspace above Syria, seems to be the America’s only conflict in Syria, reports from the Russian media indicate that future coordination is a possibility, which would be really surprising considering that the Obama Administration is adamant in its opposition against Assad. While the liberal media is questioning the primary reason for Russia’s involvement in Syria, they’re forgetting that Russia is actually doing the world a service. ISIS is an enemy that’s slowly moving across Western Europe, and the fact that United States is partially responsible for their creation, should obligate the Obama Administration to get over their hatred of Assad – at least the for the moment – and help Russia rid the world of ISIS.
Source: edition.cnn.comÂ
