The chief of Russia's General Staff said that Daesh had up to 1,500 tanks and armored vehicles plus some 1,200 artillery pieces and mortars. He stressed that the terrorist group "was de facto a regular army."
"It seems to me that the coalition has not set the goal to eliminate Daesh then [before the start of the Russian operation in Syria] and also it does not set it now," Army General Valery Gerasimov said.