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23,000 Takfiri terrorists killed in Russia strikes in Syria last year: Defense ministry

Thursday, 03 January 2019 5:06 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 03 January 2019 5:45 PM ]

This picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows Russian Sukhoi Su-30 SM jet fighters landing on a runway at the Hmeimim air base in the western Syrian province of Latakia. (Photo by AFP)

Russia’s Defense Ministry says tens of thousands of foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists were killed during its military’s counter-terrorism airstrikes against militant redoubts in Syria last year.

The ministry, in a statement released on Thursday, announced that more than 23,000 militants were eliminated over the course of the offensives.

A total of 159 battle tanks, 57 armored vehicles, more than 900 cannons and nearly 3,000 pickup trucks with machine guns mounted on them were destroyed as well.

The statement further noted that Russian aerial attacks had killed over 87,000 terrorists and militant commanders, including 4,500 extremists from Caucasian countries, ever since Moscow started its operations in Syria more than three years ago.

Furthermore, about 1,000 militant camps, 10 thousand arms and fuel depots besides 650 battle tanks were destroyed during the mentioned period.

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Russian jets have been carrying out air raids against targets belonging to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and those of other terror outfits inside Syria at the Damascus government’s formal request since September 2015.

The airstrikes have helped Syrian forces advance against anti-Damascus militants, who have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country since March 2011.

Back in August 2018, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that Moscow had dispatched 63,012 troops to Syria over the course of its military involvement in the conflict-plagued Arab country.

The ministry said 25,738 ranking officers and 434 generals as well as 4,349 artillery and rocket specialists were among the troops sent to Syria.

It added that the Russian personnel had "received combat experience" in the war-torn country.

The ministry further noted that its forces had tested 231 types of modern weaponry, including aircraft, surface-to-air systems and cruise missiles, in Syria.

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