Alwaght- Russian air strikes in Syria between September 19-29 resulted in the deaths of 2,359 ISIS terrorists all over the war-torn country, the Russian ministry of defense has announced.
According to a statement released on Saturday, 16 ISIS field commanders, and over 400 citizens from the former Soviet Republics are among the casualties.
Terrorist organizations, ISIS and al-Nusra Front have sustained their most serious losses for the last several months. Due to the effective operations of the Russian forces, they have been seriously weakened,” said a statement from the ministry, released on Saturday.
The ministry said that over the period Russian aircraft destroyed 67 militant outposts, 51 armories, 27 tanks, 21 rocket launchers and nearly 200 specialized vehicles belonging to the terrorist groups.
The ministry said that the airstrikes helped repel counter-offensives by terrorists in the provinces of Idlib and Deir ez-Zor. A region on the Iraqi border, Deir ez-Zor has seen some of the heaviest fighting anywhere in Syria over the past few months.
“With help from the Russian Air Force, the Syrian army is currently completing the encirclement and destruction of a large Islamic State force, numbering about 1,500 fighters, which invaded from Iraq, in the eastern part of Deir ez-Zor,” said the ministry.
The announcement comes as this Saturday marks the end of the second year of Russia’s military operation in Syria.
Russia’s campaign in Syria was officially launched on September 30, 2015, following several weeks of preparing a base of operations near Latakia and transporting military assets there.
Acting on a request from the Syrian government, Moscow said its involvement was necessary to prevent jihadist forces from taking over the country and turning it into a major hotbed of terrorism, which would threaten Russia as well as other countries.
Russia’s move to assist Syria in fighting terrorism together with military advisors from Iran and Hezbollah resistance fighter was crucial in saving the strategic West Asia country from falling into the hands of Takfiri terrorists.
Meanwhile, Syrian Army units on Saturday thwarted attempts of ISIS terrorists to attack some military posts in al-Thardat area on al-Mayadeen-Deir Ez-Zor road.
According to local media reports, Syria army units, during the past hours, engaged in violent clashes with ISIS terrorist groups while trying to attack some military posts in al-Thardat area on al-Mayadeen-Deir Ez-Zor road.
The source said the clashes ended up with foiling the terrorist attack, killing dozens of ISIS terrorists, destroying three booby-trapped vehicles, weapons and ammunition and seizing an armored vehicle.
