Turkey accuses Russian Federation of hitting Syria rebels to bolster regime

Obama said Russian President Vladimir Putin has not attracted global support for his approach in Syria, which is a longstanding Russian ally.

Obama dismissed that idea with an expression of disdain.

Despite Russia’s actions, Fallon insisted the British government would make the case to extend the RAF’s strikes, saying it would be “morally wrong” not to target IS in Syria.

“We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians”, added the statement, which was also published on the websites of the German and French foreign ministries.

“It’s only strengthening ISIL, and that’s not good for anybody”, Obama contended.

Russia, he predicted during a White House press conference, would get stuck in a “quagmire”, adding, “It just won’t work, and they’re going to stay there for a while”. “And they will be there for a while if they don’t take a different course”.

“Mr. Putin had to go into Syria not out of strength, but out of weakness because his client Mr. Assad was crumbling and it was insufficient for him to send arms and money”, Obama said.

The already weak U.S.-backed opposition to Assad has been undercut and will face further setbacks if its positions are hit, intentionally or unintentionally, by Russia’s strikes.

This programme is separate to the U.S. Defence Department’s train and equip programme aimed at fighting Islamic State.

“As a outcome of these brilliant moves, their economy is contracting 4 percent this year”.

A former senior military adviser claimed the UK’s policy in Syria has been hampered by “wishful thinking” about what would happen to Assad’s regime.

Friday prayers were cancelled in insurgent-held areas of Syria’s Homs province hit by Russian warplanes this week, with residents concerned that mosques could be targeted, according to one person from the area.

“Last night, Russian strikes on the western edges of Raqa city, and near the Tabqa military airport, killed 12 ISIS jihadists”, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. “So we are hoping they will come to their senses, stabilize the situation and then we can agree on the Assad piece”.

USA officials later made it clear that rebels trained by the US would receive air support in the event they were attacked by either Islamic State militants or Syrian government troops. The Pentagon on Thursday had its first conversation with Russian officials in an effort to avoid any unintended U.S.-Russian confrontations. Which the US found out about when a Russian general knocked on the door of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and announced that the attack would begin within an hour and warned the U.S.to get out of the way.

Su-34 fighter bombers carried out precision strikes from heights of over 5,000 metres, the assertion stated, including that this kind of plane can perform strikes towards terrorist targets in the entire territory of Syria.

The official was not authorized to be publicly named and spoke on condition of anonymity.