MOSCOW (Sputnik) – “We express our deep concern in regard to the Russian military presence in Syria, and especially to the attacks of the Russian Air Force in the regions of Hama, Homs, and Idlib beginning yesterday that led to casualties among civilians and did not strike Islamic State targets. These military operations may lead to the further escalation and give grounds for extremism and radicalization. We call on the Russia Federation to immediately cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and to focus efforts on the fight against the Islamic State,” the joint statement reads.
The joint statement was supported by France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain and the United States.
1 October 2015, 18:07 GMT
On Wednesday, Russia started carrying out pinpoint airstrikes on IS targets in Syria. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 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. The targets were chosen based on intelligence, including air surveillance, gathered and verified by Russia and Syria.
On Thursday, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad confirmed that Syrian Army strikes, supported by the Russian Air Force, were carried out against armed terrorist organizations and not political opposition factions or civilians. The ambassador added that the Syrian Army has at its disposal the exact coordinates of terrorist group locations in the country.
