Russia carried out some 60 airstrikes against ISIS and other rebel targets across Syria, killing some 300 militants nationwide, the largest of which was in the ISIS-held Raqqa Province, where they destroyed the headquarters of the Liwa al-Haqq.
The Liwa al-Haqq headquarters was destroyed in the strike, and Russia reported that some 200 fighters were killed there, including two ISIS field commanders who were visiting the base. Liwa al-Haqq was previously a top faction in the Islamic Front, and hadn’t been identified as closely aligned with ISIS.
The other major strike, per the Russian Defense Ministry, was against an ISIS munitions depot in a former prison in Aleppo Province. The strike caused an explosion and killed some 100 ISIS fighters therein.
Other strikes were reported around Idlib Province, held by al-Qaeda, and against a training site in the Latakia Province, along the Idlib border, though casualty figures were not reported in either of those. Today’s strikes were the largest since Russia began launching airstrikes in Syria.
Russian airstrikes, using a handful of planes, are wiping the floor with the terrorists. Why, one wonders, are American air strikes, with far superior numbers and logistics, so ineffectual? Perhaps because America isn’t actually interested in hitting ISIS?
Of course they are not, the Americans are hoping that
ISIS destroy Assad.
More likely because the Russians are more desperate and are lying more wildly about the effectiveness of their strikes.
True up until now. However, Carter just finished consulting with Fallon and likely got an earful about the refugee crisis and how we need to stabilize Syria. Publicly, the West still says Assad must go, but the EU desperately wants to stop the refugee flow. So now, the US is finally going to help the Kurds if only by not opposing Putin. A very complex situation indeed. The big loser here is Erdogan.
US helped the Kurds long ago, stopped the Genocide against them, Saddam convicted of genocide, funny how people don't remember that part.
Yeah, that was the part where the US allowed Mr. Hussein's goons to put the dampers on any local rebellion just after Iraq War 1, offing Shias and Kurds from the air as they were allowed to helicopter around? Schwarzkopf was facepalming later about that.
Its you who doesn't remember. Saddam was convicted for executing some Shias that opened fire on his motorcade early in the Iraq-Iran was in southern Iraq. Many were released. Only those who proved to have been involved in the assassination were executed. That's what they hung Saddam for, after changing the judge three times until they got a conviction. Get your facts right!
USG abd European needs to learn from Russia and its true and meaningful efforts to destroy the created terrorism groups all over the Middle East by NATO and its puppets regimes, or those that they have economic and political relations, Saudis, Qatari, Turkish Erdogan regime. These regimes simply are supporter of terrorism and sponsored of terrorism all over the world. Sarkozi and that Swedish King included.
What do you have against "that Swedish King?" I hadn't heard of Sweden's involvement in any of this except for the Assange thing.
Research the monarchy, their political activities and his "majesty's" support for Saudis monarchy, the kingdome economic "interests" in BP and Balkan countries, research them.
Clearly the Russians are more effective than the US in stamping out ISIS. Perhaps that’s because the later is an American creation and it’s parents are loathe to kill it’s children
It remains to be seen whether the Russian claims are true. A propaganda blitz claiming instant and massive victory is exactly what one would expect at this point.
ISIS just made a big gain thanks to Russian bombing. http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-just-handed… When is Russia going to get on the right side?
Exactly. Why else would John McCain and his fellow neo-cons on Fox(no)news and CNN be so angry at Russia.
"Daesh has exploited the Russian air strikes and the preoccupation of the (rebel) Free Syrian Army in its battles in Hama, and advanced in Aleppo," one rebel commander told Reuters."
Pfffff… hahahahah!
I guess if the Russian's hand't intervened, they would have made their "big win" anyway, just next week, then?
The Reuters headline starts with words "Russi says …" . That Russia would make such claims is standard practice. The US regularly makes similar claims. As a practical matter, how to fighter pilots count the number of people they've killed?
As a practical matter, how to fighter pilots count the number of people they've killed?
The same way the U.S. does.
America fails to understand that Russia isn't there to help the United States its there at the behest of Assad to help Syria, and to bring up the adage by George W Bush you are either for us or against us! Not fighting with Russia and Syria and Iran then you are in fact an unlawful combatant that's Bush Speak for a terrorist, other Bush speak is that countries that supply and fund Unlawful Combatants are STATE SPONSORS OF TERRORISM and the aggrieved country has every right to go right to the source of that sponsors country to wage war on it! Well that has been the argument that the United States has put up since 9/11, of course the United states thinks that should be the rule for everyone BUT the United States. Thus far there have been no serious direct confrontations with The US, although Turkish planes have been painted with Radar, whilst in Syrian Airspace! Interestingly the complaints by the Turks of Russian jet over flights into Turkey make no mention of the incursions to bomb Syria from Turkey by the US and Turkey and Australia France and other countries! Interestingly even in the US we are seeing that the Russians are being heralded as doing the correct thing! The Public are finally realising that this whole mess is the fault of the United States, especially in Europe, even as bad as Assad is there was not a mass exodus from Syria!
300 down. Around 19700-31200 to go. http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/11/world/meast/isis-sy…
The US killed about Total: 59,518–70,807 militants total a decade a go (doesn't look updated): http://waronterrorism.wikia.com/wiki/Casualties_o…
I think the US and Russia need to be compared on their kill rate to see who is the more effective killer since people think Russia is more effective than the US. We need an analysis with graphs. We need to find the 1st derivative and compare the slopes! Then we need one comparing the kill rate and the insurgency recruitment rate and see which one if either is killing their way to victory in the Middle East.
I thought it was 3,000,000 militants.
Russia is ISIS"s Airforce: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/08/…
I think you will find that the US is Al Qaeda's Airforce.
Looks like ISIS is in an axis with Russia and Assad.
Western corporate rich must be having kittens, for all their efforts to make the Middle-East a paradise for gun runners, all going up in smoke. But, what did they expect, in World War Two, did not Russia suffer the lose of 21 million young fighting men?__Now if I were nature's God and the purpose of this world was not to prove the harm in it, I would pass a law that allowed only those in the laboring-class lower half of society to hold public office.
Written without a source? Finally you mention Russian Air Ministry? Yeah, I believe it….. not.
The Daily Beast?
What moron uses them as a source for foreign affairs??
Various pundits have posited that the US and allies deliberately did not attack ISIS et. al forces
when they engaged Assad's army. Palmyra being one example of that. The US and allies only
attacked Syrian ISIS when they moved toward Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq. In essence the US was
shaping the battle field to support ISIS when it fought against Assad by not attacking it.
I can imagine that the southern forces of ISIS and related terrorist gangs operated openly
knowing full well they would not be attacked/bombed by Western powers. Enter the Russians.
They attack easily known targets and score early successes. Have to wonder how the Russian
counter offensive will move forward now that ISIS and other terrorist gangs no long
have a get-out-jail-card and their infrastructure weakened to destroyed.