WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Along with its coalition partners, Carter noted, the United States is intensifying military efforts against Daesh in both Iraq and Syria, and will continue to do so until the terror group is dealt a lasting defeat.
"Russia’s entry into Syria didn’t impact our campaign against ISIL [Daesh]," Carter stated.
As of now, Carter added, the United States has not seen whether Russia acquired the leverage to find a diplomatic way forward, which is what the Syrian people need.
Russia said it was going into Syria to fight Daesh, but that is not what it did, Carter claimed, and instead it prolonged the civil war by propping up Syrian President Bashar Assad.
On Monday, Russian President Vladmir Putin ordered the pullout of the Russian air group from Syria. Russia conducted an aerial campaign against terrorists in Syria since September 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
