Russia says Islamic State implicated in foiled terror plot

Putin last month received parliamentary approval to launch an air campaign in the war-torn country, but authorities have staunchly denied they would send any ground troops. Putin “infuriated” Assad’s enemies when Russian Federation began airstrikes on September 29.

The Russian defence ministry said today that its air force had struck 63 targets in Syria in the past 24 hours, destroying a “terrorist” command post and several defensive positions and ammunition depots.

The message, twinned with a pledge of support for moderate foes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia’s ally, signals Saudi suspicions about Moscow’s motives in entering a 4-1/2 year war in which a few 250,000 people have been killed and a few 11 million, or half the population, driven from their homes.

He urged western governments to share intelligence with Russian Federation.

The foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, said the military escalation risks “increasing radicalization” and prolonging the crisis, which is fueling a surge of refugees in neighboring countries and in Europe. Monday, Putin said pulling the plug was the wrong decision. “The units of worldwide terrorists and the ilk have no desire to negotiate with the Syrian government, who is nearly sieged in its own capital”. Saudi Arabia is predominantly Sunni.

“As a outcome of its policies and actions, the Assad regime can not be a partner in the fight against Dae’sh [IS]”, the European Union said.

“We are ready to cooperate with such patriotic groups of armed opposition, both in coordinating the fight against terrorism on the Syrian territory and in an effort to prepare the ground for a political process”, Lavrov told reporters.

“Any suggestion that the intelligence community was surprised by Russia’s military support to the Assad regime is misleading”, a US intelligence official said, according to The Daily Beast.

Russian Federation has been stepping up security, anxious about the threat from Islamist militants especially from the restive northern Caucasus returning home from the Middle East or Afghanistan, perhaps seeking revenge for Moscow’s military intervention against Syrian rebels.

Mistura was “hoping to bring the Russian Federation and the U.S.to agree on the formation of one or more “contact groups” to conduct peace negotiations”. “Just give us targets and we’ll work them out”.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said clashes were ongoing in Kafr Nabuda, adding that Russian warplanes had carried out at least 20 strikes in and around the village.