Iraq may soon request Russian airstrikes against Islamic State on its soil

It was not immediately clear which groups in Syria the Russian medium-range missiles had struck. They continue to hit targets that are not ISIL.

Pentagon officials have said the Russian intervention in Syria has not forced the U.S. military or its coalition partners to alter the rate or location of their surveillance missions and airstrikes against Islamic State. The fight followed after the Russian air strikes were launched in the same areas.

Moscow’s unexpected move to launch airstrikes in Syria has brought the greatest threat of an accidental clash between Russian and Western forces since the Cold War.

The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, said rebels were able to destroy two tanks and an armored personnel carrier in northern Hama province near Idlib. The Russians have been using a refurbished airbase in Latakia for their air operations.

His Moscow meeting outlined the deteriorating situation in Syria, where rebel advances toward the coast were posing a danger to the heartland of Assad’s Alawite sect, whereRussia maintains its only Mediterranean naval base in Tartous. The city has been divided between government and opposition control for more than three years.

In his most hard-line comments to date about Russia, Carter rejected the possibility of teaming up with the Russians in that regard.

Syrian regime forces, supported by heavy Russian aerial bombing and cruise missile strikes from warships, launched a major ground offensive against rebels on Wednesday (Oct 7) in a coordinated attack.

Liwa Suqour Jabal was targeted last week in Russian strikes.

The agreement also included the provision of more sophisticated Russian weapons to the Syrian army, and the establishment of joint operations rooms that would bring those allies together, along with the government of Iraq, which is allied both to Iran and the United States.

“True, we don’t currently know where it is and who is leading it”, Putin said of the Free Syrian Army. “The United States has been worried by the growing influence of Iran in Iraq and worries should be doubled after the Russians took the lead in Iraq and Syria”.

At the time, Russia’s deputy foreign ministry spokesman said he has “no information whatsoever” that Soleimani visited Russia, which would be a violation of U.N. travel sanctions against the general. The document aims to develop plans so that their air forces avoid mistakenly coming into contact in the skies over Syria.

The lack of ground forces to identify ground targets has palpably bedeviled the U.S. air campaign for over a year since it started in mid-2014. But the U.S. and France say at least some of the strikes appear to have hit Western-backed rebel factions fighting government troops, with the real goal of protecting Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Assad a bulwark against terrorism.

Syria has been gripped by bitter fighting since the Assad regime cracked down on anti-government protests – which began in early 2011 as part of the “Arab Spring” uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

He said the U.S. will limit its discussions with Russia to basic, technical talks about efforts to ensure that flights over Syria are conducted safely and, “That’s it”.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the Russian warplanes’ equipment allows striking the IS throughout Syria with “absolute precision”.