Syrian armed groups launch counterattack in Hama amid Russian airstrikes

Russian Federation says the airstrikes which typically set out last seven days are attacking IS and al-Qaida’s Syrian internet marketers, but at least several of the touches have the symptoms of success Western-backed revolt factions.

Russian warplanes have carried out “intense” new strikes in two Syrian provinces, with regime forces launching a simultaneous ground attack on rebels for the first time, a monitor said today. The air attacks coincided with fierce clashes between the Syrian troops and pro-regime militias, on one hand, and the armed opposition groups on the other.

Ayoub did not say which areas were being targeted.

Kafr Nanbuah’s people reached a truce with the regime forces a year and three months ago. The ongoing battles claimed dozens of lives on both sides, the report added.

Russian air strikes destroyed the main weapons depots of a US-trained rebel group, the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal, their commander said.

“The Syrian army in its latest operations is working on cutting off the southern parts of Idlib province from the northern parts of Hama province”, a military source in Hama told AFP.

But in Iraq, the head of parliament’s defence and security committee said Baghdad may request Russian air strikes against Islamic State on its soil soon and wants Moscow to have a bigger role than Washington in fighting the group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were also heavy surface-to-surface missile bombardments.

US and its other allies consider the Free Syrian Army as “moderate opposition” groups that fight against Assad regime in Syria.

The group has documented more than 300 attacks on hospitals and the deaths of 670 health workers in Syria since the start of the conflict in March 2011.

“I have said before that we believed that Russian Federation has the wrong strategy – they continue to hit targets that are not ISIL”.

Iraq’s government and powerful Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias question the United States’ resolve in fighting Islamic State militants, who control a third of the country, saying US-led coalition air strikes are ineffective. “So whether they’re hit by a cruise missile from sea or a bomb from a Russian military aircraft, the result is the same, that Assad continues to get support from Russia”, added Kirby.