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.
As Vladimir Putin travelled to Paris for talks with French president Francois Hollande, the Russian president seized on US and western disarray and insisted 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.
Pentagon officials urged the Russian military on Thursday to focus its airstrikes in Syria on Isis fighters rather than opponents of Syrian president Bashar Assad, US administration officials said.
“What is important is Russia has to not be engaged in any activities against anybody but [Isis],” secretary of state John Kerry said. “That’s clear. We have made that very clear.”
Meanwhile, Russian and US military commanders began “de-confliction” 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.
Speaking ahead of his talks with Putin, Hollande said airstrikes in Syria should target Isis exclusively.
He said it was essential to ensure that “the strikes, regardless of who is carrying them out, target Daesh and not other groups”, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamist group.
The developments appeared to support the widely held belief that Russia’s real purpose is to bolster the regime of Bashar al-Assad and stave off western demands that he step down to make way for a political solution to the bloody four-and-half-year-old conflict.
Russia’s move clearly risks counter-action by countries supporting the rebels. According to one independent analyst, that may have already begun, with the Qataris – acting with the agreement of Saudi Arabia – flying in planeloads of weapons to Turkish airbases. “I would expect a huge influx of weapons into the north to try to blunt any ground assault by the regime,” the analyst said. “The stakes are very high.”
The commander of the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal rebel group, which has received training from the CIA, said a camp in northern Idlib province was struck by about 20 missiles in two separate sorties. “Russia is challenging everyone and saying there is no alternative to Bashar,” said Hassan Haj Ali, a Syrian army captain who defected after the uprising began in 2011.
The Russian defence ministry said its planes hit 12 Isis targets, including a command centre and two arms depots, although the areas where it said the strikes took place are not held by Isis.
Syrian activists reported a number of airstrikes in the country’s north and centre, including in the province of Hama, which they said airstrikes hit locations controlled by another US-backed rebel group, Tajamu al-Izzah.
Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Assad Lebanese TV channel, reported that Russian aircraft launched 30 airstrikes against Jaysh al-Fateh, a powerful Islamist rebel coalition that includes Ahrar al-Sham and the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front.
Significantly, Russia’s official line appeared to change on Thursday, with a spokesman for Putin saying Russia was going after other groups in addition to Isis. “These organisations are well known and the targets are chosen in coordination with the armed forces of Syria,” the spokesman said.
(The Guardian)
