Putin: Russia to continue Syria airstrikes until ‘objective achieved’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out claims that Moscow will imminently end its airstrikes against militants in Syria, saying the military action will continue as long as necessary.
In a Friday address to Russian and Turkish journalists, Putin said the airstrikes, which began on September 30 at the request of the Syrian government, will continue until the objectives of the operation are realized.
“…the duration of stay of our servicemen will be determined solely depending on the time this objective is achieved,” Putin said in comments carried by the state-run Tass news agency, adding that Russian forces have a “clear task to provide air support for the Syrian army’s offensive against terrorists.”
Putin, who was speaking before a trip to Turkey to attend a G20 summit, denied claims by some Western governments, including the United States, that Russia is targeting the so-called moderate militants in Syria.
He said Russia is ready to take into account any reliable information on the location of terrorist groups in Syria, adding that Moscow has worked together over the past weeks with the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA), a group which is backed by the US and allies.
“The Russian aviation has conducted several strikes on the targets identified by the FSA. We excluded areas, which had been indicated by FSA commanders as being under their control,” Putin added.
Russia said on September 30 that the main target of its air campaign in Syria would be the positions of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group. It later said the attacks would also include other groups designated by the Syrian government as terrorists.
In comments released by the Kremlin on Friday, Putin again repeated Moscow’s previous positions with regards to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying his fate should be solely decided by the Syrian people.
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