Russia: 200 Militants Killed in Airstrikes in Eastern Syria

Russian planes hit two hideouts near Palmyra

Russian Admiral Alexander Karpov has reported that an estimated 200 militants were killed in a pair of airstrikes on Monday in eastern Syria. The attacks targeted two hideouts in the desert northeast of Palmyra.

This area is known to be one of those awash in ISIS holdouts. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that ISIS had claimed to have killed two Russian soldiers in the area, speculating that this is why Russia hit them.

Admiral Karpov reported that in addition to 200 killed, the airstrikes destroyed 24 vehicles and destroyed an estimated 500 kg of ammunition and explosives. He referred to the hideouts as a “staging ground” for more attacks around Syria.

This again makes some sense, as recent ISIS attacks have tended to come out of this patch of desert. ISIS retains a fairly large number of fighters, but no meaningful territory, and get pounded with strikes when they try to reassert themselves.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.