Moscow ready to support Free Syrian Army

“Russia must firstly stop bombing the headquarters of the Free Army before offering air support that we haven’t asked for”, said Fares Bayoush, the head of the FSA-affiliated group Fursan al-Haq.

On the face of it, Russian officials have said this country does not plan to engage in whatever ground operations in Syria.

Additionally, places like Latakia, which is in the heartland of the Alawite minority of Syrian President Bashar Assad, is giving the Russians a safe environment, and its people are also welcoming of the Russian soldiers.

“The main task is to shackle the terrorist groupings’ actions on the Syrian territory”, he said. “We want to consider the interests of Syria”.

“Of course they need to prepare for both parliamentary and presidential elections”.

John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, confirmed the conversation.

Russian Federation shows power through these and other equipment and through their actions as they are in force helping their counterparts in the Syrian war.

Visiting Russian communist party MP Aleksandr Yushenko said the Syrian president agreed to hold preliminary elections in the country, on condition that the move has the backing of the population. Lavrov said the success of Assad’s army on the battlefield, with Russian air support, would consolidate his government, making it more interested in a political deal.

It’s a stance which apparently collaborate with the Russian efforts to push the wheels of the stalemated political process in Syria, in tandem with the ongoing military campaign against the terror groups.

Kerry said after that meeting he expected new talks on Syria to begin as soon as next week, and did not rule out the participation of Iran, something Moscow has pushed for.

Washington has criticized Moscow for so far focusing most of its firepower on armed groups supported by the West and its allies rather than Islamic State, angering the Kremlin which has said it is impossible to make a distinction between terrorists. The FSA does not operate with a centralised command structure.

This kind of commitment to a foreign mission wouldn’t have been possible even a few years ago, as Russians previously didn’t even have enough planes in its air force to use to bomb targets.

The comments came after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that Moscow was ready to support Syria’s “patriotic opposition, including the so-called Free Syrian Army, from the air”.