Russian military intervention and aid to Syria #7

KiloGolf wrote:

par far wrote:The level Of terriosts that were sponsored by Turkey and other states in Russia was huge, I think it is only right that Russia give support to the PKK and other Kurdish groups in Turkey, while helping the Houthis in Yemen against the Saudis.


http://southfront.org/the-janissaries-of-cloak-and-dagger/

Weren't PKK folks somehow "helped" by Russia during the 90s?
I remember some kurdish Iglas bringing down a few choppers from TuArmy (Cougar and Cobra(s)).

Since the beginning of the Russian aerial campaign in Syria, Russian warplanes have carried out 5,662 sorties, the Russian General Staff said.

"Since September 30, 2015, the Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out 5,662 sorties, including 145 sorties carried out by missile-carrying strategic aircraft and long-range bombers, 97 launches of cruise missiles both sea and land based have been carried out," Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, told reporters.

Over 100 days of the Russian military operation, 217 populated areas and over 1,000 square kilometers in Syria have been liberated from terrorists.

"Over 100 days of the operation conducted by the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria, 217 populated areas and over 1,000 square kilometers were freed from terrorists."

Due to Russian airstrikes destroying terrorist command centers and supply channels in Syria, jihadists started to lack fuel, weapons and supplies, Sergei Rudskoi said.

Russian warplanes hit only verified terrorist targets in Syria after checking the information via various channels, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman emphasized on Friday.

"I emphasize that the strikes by our air group in Syria on terrorist targets are carried out only after data [on terrorist targets] is verified through several channels. Strikes are not carried out in case of risk for lives of civilians," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

According to Konashenkov, this is one of the main differences between the Russian anti-terrorist campaign in Syria and that of the US-led coalition as the Pentagon may approve a decision to carry out airstrikes in an area if the number of civilian casualties does not exceed 50 people.

"As we say, feel the difference. Our aviation does not even plan airstrikes if there is a possibility of civilian casualties," Konashenkov said.

Russia may start to publish data on airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition in Syria to avoid speculations.

"If our collaugues remain silent about the results of their [US-led coalition] strikes in Syria, we'll have to inform the public of these facts ourselves. If someone still doesn't get that — too bad," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Friday.

Russia has decided to conduct humanitarian operations in Syria, Russian General Staff head Lt.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said Friday.

Russian Il-76 aircraft have already delivered 22 tonns of humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor.

"The main batch of [Russian] humanitarian assistance has been sent to the city of Deir ez-Zor, which has been besieged by terrorists for a long time."

Earlier, an informed source told Sputnik that Damascus and armed opposition groups operating in Syria had reached a consensus on allowing deliveries of humanitarian aid to cities suffering from the fight between the conflicting parties.

The move by Jordanian King Abdullah II to establish a shared war room with Russian forces will radically change how political decisions are made and how intelligence is shared in the region, Israeli military and intelligence sources told military intelligence commentary website Debka.

Previously, Jordan fought the Syrian President Bashar Assad from a command center shared with the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel, located north of the country’s capital of Amman.

Although Jordanian authorities present the new cooperation with Russia as a simple logistical move to coordinate all parties involved in combating Daesh, major military and intelligence efforts will be directed to the new center, military sources claimed.

According to Debka, citing anonymous sources in Washington and Moscow, the new war room was set up shortly after the presidents of Russia and the US held phone talks on the issue on January 13.

Jordan will stop providing so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels with their main pipeline, experts noted, adding that opposition groups will also be deprived of funding and other types of assistance from the US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

This news may also upset Israel, in light of its long support for the rebels, who had seized large parts in the south of the war-torn country. To the potential discontent of the Israelis, the establishment of the new command center will likely enable the legitimate Syrian army to defeat the rebels in the country.

Since the launch of the Russian air operation in Syria last September, Syrian government forces have recaptured large areas previously lost to various militant groups.

Last week the Syrian army regained control of Salma, a town in the coastal Latakia province considered to be a major rebel stronghold since 2012. Troops also advanced in the south of central Hama province and east in Homs, and are currently on the offensive in the southern Daraa province.

“The situation has stabilized, the [Syrian] government is no longer threatened with collapse,” the Jordan Times reported citing Vasily Kashin, an expert for Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.