United States & Russian Federation discuss air safety in Syria

Russia carried out a third day of air strikes Friday in Syria, saying it targeted Islamic State jihadists, as Russian President Vladimir Putin faced increased worldwide criticism over his military campaign.

He insisted Russian Federation was targeting the same militant groups as the U.S.-led coalition, which is conducting its own airstrikes in Syria: the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, the al-Qaida-linked Jabbat al-Nusra and other groups.

“I don’t think there’s a lot that we can do about the folks that are there”, he said.

The rebels who were attacked are part of a CIA-trained group of hundreds of fighters that is different from the handful of forces that have been trained and put on the battlefield by the US military.

If that is correct, it would suggest that the Russian military operation – its first beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union since Afghanistan in 1979 – was long in the planning.

In the last four years, the Syrian Civil War has taken the lives of more than 250,000 people.

They told reporters they would be looking further at the proposals in the next few days.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem spoke to a United Nations gathering of world leaders Friday, calling Russia’s airstrikes in Syria “effective” because they support his country’s efforts to combat terrorism.

Russia’s defence ministry says it has damaged or destroyed 12 targets in Syria belonging to the Islamic State group.

Dozens of civilians, including five children, have allegedly been killed in the first wave of Russian airstrikes. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the strike.

After the meetings it was concluded that the IDF and Russian military would set up a joint working group to coordinate their Syria-related activities in the aerial, naval, and electromagnetic arenas, a senior defense source said.

“As we move forward to implement the findings of this report, it is critical that we focus on boosting global intelligence measures, producing an updated national strategy, halting the online recruitment of Americans by terrorist groups, and encouraging more efficient information sharing between state, local and federal law enforcement”, Mr. Katko said in a statement.

Like the Syrian government, Moscow describes all militias battling to topple Assad as “terrorists“.

The channel said strikes also hit other areas in Idlib province, including the Zawiya Mountain region, as well as areas in Hama province further south. The pro-opposition Orient News channel said Russian strikes hit rebel positions in the Hama countryside.

Less than 48 hours later, however, Lawson acknowledged he was wrong and he admitted that precision-guided munitions were indeed in the possession of Canada’s coalition allies (besides the U.S.) and had been used in Syria, despite claims to the contrary made by Kenney. “So that is a problem”.

The Army of Conquest (Jaysh al-Fata) alliance had made advances in the north-west in recent months, taking Idlib from pro-government forces.

The top Syrian diplomat said the use of airstrikes in his country would be useless unless it is coordinated with the Damascus government. The Russian intervention upsets that dynamic.