Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Moscow, SANA-Russian jets had made more than 60 sorties over 50 ISIS targets in the course of three days of air strikes against the terrorist organizations’ positions, the Russian General Staff announced.
“Over the past three days we have managed to undermine material and technical resources of the terrorists and significantly reduce their combat potential,” Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff, said Saturday.
“We will not only continue the strikes by our air force but also will increase their intensity,” he added.
He said Russia had managed to destroy ISIS command posts, warehouses storing ammunition and explosives, communication hubs, training camps as well as “mini-factories that made weapons for suicide bombers”.
The Russian official said the Russian air strikes have caused “panic”, forcing some 600 militants to abandon their positions and head to Europe.
Kartapolov said Russian officials had contacted their foreign counterparts and recommended that they pull their personnel from the region.
Russia also recommended that Washington pull out “those valuable employees who were trained at the expense of American taxpayers,” Kartapolov said in a comment laden with irony.
“By the way, during these contacts Americans informed us that no one but terrorists are present in this region,” the Russian official added.
He hailed the recently-established intelligence-sharing center between Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria which is based in Baghdad to coordinate the four countries’ counter-terrorism efforts, expressing regret that that the West had not moved to share intelligence.
“We have to admit openly that as of today we are receiving such data only from our colleagues at the centre,” Kartapolov said.
“We are still open for dialogue with all interested parties,” the Russian official added.
Manal