LATAKIA (Sputnik) — Islamic State militants have been moving their families to the relative safety of Iraq following Russian anti-ISIL airstrikes in Syria, Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen television channel said Friday.
Russia launched airstrikes against extremist positions in Syria for the third day on Friday. Targets are chosen based on intelligence, including air surveillance, gathered and verified by Russia and Syria, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
On Wednesday, Russia commenced precision airstrikes on IS targets in Syria upon Syrian President Bashar Assad's request. The Russian Defense Ministry said that during the first two days of the operation the country’s aircraft hit over 10 targets, among them an explosives factory, an arms depot and an IS coordination center.