Two Russian submarines have fired a barrage of Kalibr cruise missiles at positions of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, where the country's forces are making territorial gains against the terrorists.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said on Thursday that the Black Sea Fleet’s submarines -- Veliky Novgorod and Kolpino -- carried out two strikes outside the city of Mayadin, located about 44 kilometers southeast of Dayr al-Zawr, using ten Kalibr cruise missiles.
Noting that the submarines fired the missiles while submerged, Konashenkov added, "Daesh terrorist group in Mayadin suffered significant damage, both in manpower and hardware.”
Konashenkov further noted that Russian air and naval forces would continue to support the Syrian army’s offensive aimed at pushing Daesh out of Dayr al-Zawr province.
The development came only two days after the Russia’s Defense Ministry said the country’s military aircraft had killed seven Daesh terrorist field commanders, including a terrorist coordinator, in Dayr al-Zawr.
“Seven field commanders of various ranks were killed, including Kazakh native, Abu Islam al-Kazakhi, who coordinated the actions of Daesh assault units on the banks of the Euphrates River,” Konashenkov said on Tuesday.
“Over the past two days, the Russian Air Force has continued to strike Daesh group on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. The death of 304 militants have been confirmed, and more than 170 other extremists been wounded," the Russian official said.
“The center for the assembly and training of Daesh foreign elements, including about 40 militants from the North Caucasus as well as a mobile sniper group of terrorists, was destroyed in an airstrike,” he added.
Konashenkov further noted that three command posts, nine terrorist fortifications, eight battle tanks, three artillery systems, 17 pickup trucks equipped with large-caliber weapons and four ammunition depots were also destroyed in the aerial assaults.
Russian Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers (pictured above) fired a barrage of cruise missiles at the positions of Daesh in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib and the province of Dayr al-Zawr on September 26, inflicting heavy losses on the terrorists.
On September 22, a Russian submarine launched a barrage of Kalibr cruise missiles at the positions of the foreign-sponsored and Takfiri terrorists of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham -- previously known as the Nusra Front -- in Syria’s Idlib and destroyed them only a few days after the extremists attacked a unit of Russian Military Police in the crisis-hit Arab country.
Jabhat Fatah al-Sham terrorists had earlier attacked Russian troops stationed in the neighboring Hama province.
Since 2015, Russia has been conducting aerial attacks against terrorist positions in Syria at a request from the Syrian government.
Backed by Russian air power, Syrian ground forces have managed to make numerous gains against terrorists on various fronts.
Daesh terrorists in Syria relocating to Pakistan
Meanwhile, Andrey Novikov, the head of the Commonwealth of Independent States Anti-Terrorism Center, says Daesh terrorists are relocating to Pakistan in the face of huge losses in Syria.
Novikov said Daesh forces have been significantly relocating from Syria to Pakistan since the fall of 2016.
“The resolution of military and political forces in Syria has lowered the cases of direct armed confrontations, and forced Daesh to change not only its tactics, but also the geography of its future activities,” he pointed out.