Iraq using info from new intelligence centre to bomb IS, official says

Officials said the men arrived in Moscow “well before” Russian Federation began its bombing campaign on September 30 and only three suspects have been identified so far.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said later that Washington’s decision wouldn’t help combat the Islamic State group and settle the Syrian conflict.

“The idea is to formalize the relationship with Iran, Russian Federation and Syria”.

The head of Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate has called on jihadists in the Caucasus to attack Russian civilians and soldiers in retaliation for Moscow’s air strikes in Syria.

Earlier on Tuesday, rebel commanders said Syrian insurgents were deploying extensive supplies of anti-tank missiles provided by their foreign backers to counter ground attacks by the Syrian army and its allies, supported by heavy Russian air strikes.

Officials had initially claimed the attack targeted the leader of the group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but security officials later said he had not been present.

The Baghdad government, and allied Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias who are leading the fight against Islamic State in Iraq, say the United States lacks the decisiveness and the readiness to supply weapons needed to eliminate militancy in the region. The USA has denied the allegation.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi has said he would welcome Russian air strikes against ISIL on its soil, which the Russians have not yet agreed to carry out.

Insurgents fired two shells at the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital as hundreds of pro-government supporters gathered outside the compound to thank Moscow for its intervention in Syria, reports AP. A few held placards that read: “Thanks Russia” and “Syria and Russian Federation are together to fight terrorism”.

The civil war has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced half of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million.

“The war in Syria will make the Russians forget the horrors that they found in Afghanistan”, Jolani said.

The Army of Conquest, which captured most of the neighboring Idlib province in May, includes al Qaeda’s Syria wing, Nusra Front, the Islamist Ahrar al-Sham faction and groups including Chechen and central Asian fighters.