Russia says it targets not just IS in Syria
October 01, 2015 18:12
Reacting to criticism that it is targeting opponents of the Syrian government, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted today that Russia's airstrikes in Syria are targeting not only Islamic State
militants but also other groups.
Russia yesterday carried out its first airstrikes in Syria in what President Vladimir Putin called a pre-emptive strike against the militants. Twenty airstrikes had destroyed a command center of Islamic State militants as well as ammunition depots, the defense ministry said.
Moscow insisted that it was targeting IS militants while US officials and other cast doubt on the claim, saying the Russians appeared to be attacking opposition groups fighting Syrian government forces.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters today that Russia is going after IS militants as well as a "list" of other groups.
"These organizations are well known and the targets are chose in coordination with the armed forces of Syria," he said, without giving specific names.
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