36 killed in eastern Syria bombing raids

Moscow said yesterday its warplanes had hit 472 targets in Syria over the past two days, including tanker trucks and oil infrastructure in areas controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group.

Moscow fired 18 missiles from ships in its Caspian Sea fleet at seven targets in the Raqa, Idlib and Aleppo provinces, defence minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Shoigu says the strikes also inflicted significant casualties, including more than 600 militants killed in just one strike in the province of Deir el Zour.

The Russian strikes have not only targeted the Islamic State group, but also Syrian insurgents battling to overthrow Assad, including some Western-backed groups.

Nov 21, 2015- Russian Federation says it has intensified its air raids on what it calls “terrorist” targets in Syria and raised to 69 the number of its aircraft there.

The FAB-250-M62 high explosive bombs were taken to Syria in Russian Su-34 attack jets, reported state-affiliated Russia Today.

The Russian military is writing “For Paris” and “For Ours” on the bombs loading onto Russian war planes heading to Syria, as they show their friendship and solidarity with France following the brutal terrorist attacks last week.

Main efforts were concentrated on undermining the finance and economic capacity of the IS, which would prevent daily supplies of 60,000 tons of oil worth 1.5 million USA dollars flowing to the black market, the statement added.

Russian Federation is coordinating its air strikes with Damascus, unlike the US-led coalition fighting ISIL, which Assad and his government criticize as ineffectual. All 224 people aboard the plane, mostly Russian tourists, were killed.

However, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said that a lot more needs to be done to produce the expected result.

The Erbil airport spokesman said a change in the missiles’ route brought them “uncomfortably close” to the airport, without providing more details.

After the carnage in Paris which claimed the lives of 130 people Putin and French President Francois Hollande agreed to “ensure closer contact and coordination” in their countries’ operations in Syria.