Russian Jets Destroy 11 ISIL Command Centers

 The Russian Aerospace Force has conducted 36 sorties over the past 24 hours, hitting 49 ISIL targets in the Syrian provinces of Hama, Idlib, Latakia, Damascus, Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. As a result, 11 ISIL command and operation centers have been destroyed.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman, on October 16 the Russian aviation launched strikes on underground hideouts, operation centers, home-made weapon production plants, firing positions, artillery, munition warehouses, ammunition and material supplies of the Islamic State jihadist group, the Russian Sputnik News reported.

A factory for explosives, 3 firing positions, 15 field camps and terrorist bases, two military equipment bases, nine munition warehouses and eight fortified regions and defense positions have been destroyed.

“All Russian planes returned to the Hmeimim aerodrome after performing combat missions. Also, I want to emphasize that Russian drones over Syria continue to monitor the situation,” Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

The Russian Aerospace Force has destroyed a terrorist camp where foreign instructors had trained suicide bombers in the Latakia province. The facility also housed a workshop for manufacturing improvised explosive devices.

“Near Salma in the Latakia province Su-24M bomber hit a separate building, which housed a base for training terrorists. According to intelligence data, foreign instructors trained ISIL militants there to conduct diversionary war in areas liberated by the Syrian army, as well as [trained] suicide-bombers.”

He added that the terrorists were also taught to be legalized among civilian population and refugees.

On the outskirts of Marj Sultan, Russian combat aircraft have hit and destroyed a command center of militants responsible for terrorist attacks in the Syria’s provinces of Homs and Damascus, according to the Syrian intelligence, the Russian general said.

All reconstructed ISIL positions are quickly detected and destroyed, Konashenkov said.

“The new tactic of the militants to spread out munition warehouses and command centers of the group is not bringing effective results. All reconstructed objects of the ISIL terrorist infrastructure are efficiently identified and destroyed,” Konashenkov said.

The Russian jets hit an ammunition depot in the Homs province when militants were bringing up mines and cartridges.

In the Aleppo province, Su-25 hit a terrorist base, destroying a hide-out of militants, their tanks and armored vehicles. “According to data obtained with the help of an UAV, 2 tanks and 5 infantry combat vehicles were knocked out of action.”

Syrian people living in the areas captured by ISIL help the Russian Aerospace Forces by providing them with intelligence data, Konashenkov said. The command of the Russian forces then checks the information prior to making a decision whether to launch a strike on the object, he stressed.

“I would like to note that residents of the regions temporarily controlled by the militants are providing substantial assistance by telling the Syrian intelligence about the terrorists’ actions. When receiving such information the Russian aviation’s command re-checks it by using different types of intelligence, after that a decision is made about hitting the object.”

M.A.