Russia Strikes ’ISIL’ Stronghold in Syria as Putin Meets Hollande, Merkel

Local Editor

Russia carried out a third day of air strikes in Syria on Friday and said it had hit "ISIL's" 'capital' as President Vladimir Putin faced mounting international criticism over his military campaign.

Moscow said it had bombed "an "ISIL" training camp" and a command post in the "ISIL" bastion of Raqa on Thursday, but on Friday it targeted other armed groups.

Meanwhile, the US-led coalition urged Russia to stop targeting Syrian opposition forces, warning that it risked escalating the four-year war that has already killed up to 250,000 people.

"These military actions constitute a further escalation and will only fuel more extremism and radicalization," seven countries including the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia said in a statement.

"We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians," it added.

Some of the groups targeted have been supplied with training and weapons by the United States and its allies.

A security source said that "Russian planes conducted several strikes on military positions and command centers held by the Army of Conquest in Jisr al-Shughur... and Jabal al-Zawiya in Idlib."

Putin held talks in Paris on Friday with the leaders of France and Germany, the first time he has met Western leaders since Russia began its dramatic intervention in the Syrian conflict.

Western nations including France say they are prepared to discuss a political solution with elements of the Syrian regime, but insist Assad must leave power.

A French diplomatic source said Putin and President Francois Hollande had "tried to find common ground on their opinions on the political transition."

Ahead of the talks, a Putin ally and senior lawmaker said the campaign of Russian air strikes will last for three to four months and will increase in intensity.

"There is always a risk of getting bogged down but in Moscow they're talking about three to four months of operations," Alexei Pushkov, the head of the foreign affairs committee of Russia's lower house of parliament, told France's Europe 1 radio.

Pushkov said more than 2,500 air strikes by the US-led coalition in Syria had failed to inflict significant damage on "ISIL", but Russia's campaign would be more intensive.

"If you do it in a more efficient way, I think you'll see results," he said.

"The main target are the Daesh groups situated closest to Damascus," Pushkov insisted.

Syria's foreign minister said Damascus would take part in UN talks aimed at launching formal negotiations on ending its four-year war but will not be bound by their outcome.

Walid Muallem told the UN General Assembly that he understood the talks, proposed by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, to be "mainly to exchange ideas" and non-binding.

"I would like to announce here that Syria agrees to participate in the four brainstorming committees of experts proposed by the special envoy Staffan de Mistura," said Muallem.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team