Russia strikes ammo warehouses
The Syrian military said Russia had carried out a total of 18 air strikes since Thursday evening, BBC reports. A representative of the Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the information. The Russian air force began air strikes in Syria on Wednesday. 20 air strikes targeted 8 ISIL positions in Syria on Wednesday, according to the Ministry. Those included ammunition warehouses and command and control centers. The Russian defence ministry said it had attacked the IS stronghold of Raqqa on Thursday. The airstrikes have destroyed 12 Islamic State targets, including a command center and two arms depots since they began Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Members of the US-led coalition against Islamic State have called on Russia to cease air strikes they say are hitting the Syrian opposition and civilians. In a joint statement on Friday, the US, UK, Turkey and other coalition members said Russian strikes would "only fuel more extremism". Russia, which according to witnesses launched fresh strikes on Friday, says it is targeting Islamic State. A senior Russian official says strikes could last for three to four months. Alexei Pushkov, the head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia's parliament, added that the US had only "pretended" to bomb IS and promised that Russia's campaign would be much more effective.
