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Russia admits targeting non-Isis groups in Syria as airstrikes continue
Source: The Guardian
Russia admits targeting non-Isis groups in Syria as airstrikes continue
Kareem Shaheen in Beirut, Shaun Walker in Moscow, Ian Black in London and Spencer Ackerman in New York
Thursday 1 October 2015 20.09 BST
Russian combat aircraft have carried out a second day of airstrikes against Syrian rebel forces as Moscow admitted it had targeted groups other than Islamic State in coordination with the government in Damascus.
Vladimir Putin, seizing on US and western disarray, had insisted earlier that Russia was targeting Isis. But Moscow appeared to admit it was striking more widely as American-backed rebels reported that they had been hit.
The US accused Russia of launching “indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition,” and the White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the airstrikes had targeted areas where there were “few if any” Isis forces.
Meanwhile, Russian and US military commanders began “deconfliction” talks to try to ensure their air forces did not inadvertently clash while conducting overlapping air campaigns. But a videoconference between Pentagon officials and their Russian counterparts ended without clear decisions on avoiding potential clashes between pilots.
Iran said it backed the Russian intervention, while unconfirmed reports that Iranian forces were also being deployed in Syria heightened tensions and deepened confusion over the escalating crisis.
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Kareem Shaheen in Beirut, Shaun Walker in Moscow, Ian Black in London and Spencer Ackerman in New York
Thursday 1 October 2015 20.09 BST
Russian combat aircraft have carried out a second day of airstrikes against Syrian rebel forces as Moscow admitted it had targeted groups other than Islamic State in coordination with the government in Damascus.
Vladimir Putin, seizing on US and western disarray, had insisted earlier that Russia was targeting Isis. But Moscow appeared to admit it was striking more widely as American-backed rebels reported that they had been hit.
The US accused Russia of launching “indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition,” and the White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the airstrikes had targeted areas where there were “few if any” Isis forces.
Meanwhile, Russian and US military commanders began “deconfliction” talks to try to ensure their air forces did not inadvertently clash while conducting overlapping air campaigns. But a videoconference between Pentagon officials and their Russian counterparts ended without clear decisions on avoiding potential clashes between pilots.
Iran said it backed the Russian intervention, while unconfirmed reports that Iranian forces were also being deployed in Syria heightened tensions and deepened confusion over the escalating crisis.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/01/russia-targeting-non-isis-groups-syria-airstrikes
