Russian jets bombard Daesh positions in Syria’s southeastern desert: Monitoring group

A UK-based war monitoring group says Russian fighter jets have carried out a new wave of airstrikes against the positions of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group deep inside a desert region in southeastern Syria.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing local sources, reported on Thursday that Russian military aircraft had launched some 25 air raids against Daesh strongholds across the Syrian Desert, also known as the Syrian steppe, since early hours of the day.

The sources added that scores of militants were killed and wounded as a result, without providing an exact number.

'Russian, Syrian missile strikes target militants smuggling oil to Turkey'

Russian and Syrian missile strikes have hit makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria as Turkish-backed Takfiri militants were trying to smuggle oil to Turkey.

The development came a day after Russian warplanes conducted 55 air raids against Daesh positions in the same region, killing a dozen terrorists and destroying their vehicles.

On Tuesday, nearly 40 Russian jets conducted more than 130 airstrikes in the Syrian Desert, killing and wounding tens of Daesh Takfiris.

Turkey establishing new military base in northern Syria: Report

Meanwhile, the Turkish military is reportedly constructing a military base on the outskirts of Ayn Issa town in Syria’s northern Raqqah province.

Hawar news agency reported that the base is situated one kilometer north of the M4 international road, and lies near the village of Huoshan.

The military base is said to have a control tower, equipped with radars and heavy weapons, and is surrounded by high dirt mounds.

The report added that the base is the fourth of its kind built by Turkish forces on the outskirts of Ayn Issa town.

Turkish-backed militants cut power to 24 Syrian villages for more than a month: SANA

Turkish-backed militants deprive several villages in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah of electricity for more than a month.

The other three bases have reportedly been established on the northern, eastern and western flanks of the town over the past 3 months, and are only two kilometers away from its center.

Local sources, requesting anonymity, have been quoted as saying that radar and air defense systems against armed drones or low-flying missiles have been installed in two Turkish-built bases.

Ten years of war in Syria has cost more than $1.2 trillion: World Vision report

A new report by a humanitarian aid group reveals that the economic cost of the decade-long Syrian war is more than $1.2 trillion in the lost gross domestic product (GDP).

The sources added that artillery shelling and missile strikes by Turkish military forces and their mercenaries against a number of villages on the fringes of Ayn Issa town over the past few weeks have resulted in the death of 6 civilians and injury of 16 others.

The Turkish government has been supporting Takfiri militants since they were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019, when the Turkish military launched a cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push militants of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) away from border areas. 

Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.

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