"Do not listen to the Pentagon about Russian [air] strikes, ask the Russian Defense Ministry," Lavrov said noting that all the information had been made public at the UN Security Council’s Ministerial Meeting.
Earlier in the day, Russia’s Defense Ministry circulated video footages of air strikes on the command centres of the Islamic State terrorist group located in Syria.
"Today aircraft of Russia’s Aerospace Forces delivered pinpoint air strikes on eight facilities of the ISIL [former name of Islamic State] terrorist group on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. Overall, some 20 sorties were made," Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
"As a result of air strikes, depots with ammunition, armaments, petroleum, oil and lubricants, accumulations of military hardware were hit. The command control centres of ISIL militant formations in the mountains have been completely destroyed," Konashenkov said adding that all the strikes were carried out after the relevant intelligence had been provided by the Syrian army’s headquarters. Russian aircraft has not bombed civilian facilities and areas around them.
The Federation Council on Wednesday empowered the Russian president to use Russian military outside the national territory. As the chief of the presidential staff Sergey Ivanov explained, the air operation was to be launched against the Islamic State in Syria at the request of Syria’s president Bashar Assad. Earlier, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would not be involved in operations on the ground.
[tass.ru]
30/9/15
--
-
Related:
--
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday that the Russian airstrikes in Syria appear to have targeted areas that do not include Islamic State fighters, a development which Secretary of State John Kerry said would cause "grave concern" for the United States...
ReplyDeleteKerry told the United Nations Security Council that the U.S. would not object to Russians hitting Islamic State or al-Qaida targets but airstrikes just to strengthen the hand of Syrian President Bashar Assad would be worrisome.
"It does appear they were in in areas where there probably were not ISIL forces," Carter said of the Russian airstrikes, using an alternative acronym for Islamic State. "The result of this kind of action will inevitably simply be to inflame the civil war in Syria."
Carter said he couldn't confirm reports that the Russian strikes may have hit civilians, but said, "if it occurred, it's yet another reason why this kind of Russian action can and will backfire very badly on Russia."
Carter's comments triggered a dismissive response from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who told reporters flatly, "Don't listen to the Pentagon about the Russian strikes" and referred them to the Russian defense ministry website................dailystar.com.lb