Putin calls for intensified attacks on Takfiri militants in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the country’s military to step up attacks on terrorist positions in Syria, after Moscow confirmed that a homemade bomb brought its civilian plane down over Egypt in a terror attack, claimed by Daesh terrorists.
In a Friday meeting with officials of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Putin said a recent increase in aerial attacks on militants in Syria by Russia air and naval forces is “not sufficient,” and the Moscow’s anti-terror campaign should be intensified.
The order came as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the raids over the past four days, either through Russian navy’s long-range attacks or air strikes by the Russian air force, have inflicted heavy damage and fatalities on the militants in Syria.
The developments come just days after Russian intelligence officials confirmed that a bomb planted in the Russian Metrojet airliner, which was flying from Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheik to Moscow on October 31, downed the plane and killed all 224 people on board, most of them Russian tourists. Daesh has claimed responsibility for the incident.
600 Takfiris killed
During the meeting, Shoigu said 18 missiles were fired from ships in its Caspian Sea fleet at seven targets in the Raqqah, Idlib and Aleppo provinces, killing only “600 militants” in the Daesh-controlled city of Dayr al-Zawr.
He said Russian fighter jets have targeted Daesh-held oil installations in Dayr al-Zawr. He said the attacks deprived Daesh of USD 1.5 million in daily income from oil sales.
Russia began its air strikes against the group and other terrorists in Syria on September 30 at the request of the Damascus government. Moscow says the campaign is aimed at helping the Syrian army in its anti-terror fight and also preventing the return of more than 2,000 Russian nationals who have joined Daesh ranks in Syria.
Shoigu added that Russian warplanes flew 522 sorties and destroyed over 800 targets in the last four days, while long-range bombers and navy ships have launched 101 cruise missiles in the same period of time, most of them from the Mediterranean.
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