Russia’s Ministry of Defense has described the country’s first air raids against the Takfiri ISIS terrorists in Syria as successful.
Eight positions of the terrorist group were targeted successfully during the raids, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Wednesday following the airstrikes.
“Ammunition depots, weapons, fuel and lubricants, accumulation of military equipment have been struck as a result of the airstrikes,” Konashenkov added.
He also said the command and control posts of ISIS in the area had been “completely destroyed,” emphasizing, however, that “the civilian infrastructure and the nearby territory was not stricken.”
Russia’s airstrikes against the militants in Syria officially kicked off on Wednesday, shortly after the upper house of the Russian parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the mandate to use military force in the Arab country, an ally of Moscow.
The first airstrikes were carried out 213 kilometers (132 miles) north of the Syrian capital, Damascus, near the city of Hama by two Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft, according to Russia’s Rossiya 24 channel.
Commenting on the raids, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would be open to having “standing channels of communication” with the US-led coalition, which has been attacking purported positions of ISIS in Syria and Iraq for more than a year now.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy and a terror campaign by ISIS for over four years; Press TV reported.
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