Alwaght- The Syrian army has started using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones for the first time in operations against terrorist groups in the country.
The Syrian government today began using unmanned Russian-made drones in operations against terrorists in the north and east of the country,” a Syrian source said on Wednesday without giving any further details on the type of the aircraft or the sites targeted.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the report, news agency RIA Novosti said.
Fox News website has claimed that 24 Russian attack aircraft -- including Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" and Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" jets -- have arrived in Syria, this is in addition to four Su-27s that previously were seen. Su-24s are advanced supersonic attack aircraft.
“This is a significant upgrade to Russia's ability to carry out bombing missions inside Syria,” a US official was quoted by the website.
Russian President Vladimir Putin noted recently that it’s necessary for geopolitical ambitions to be set aside in the fight against ISIS terrorists adding that Moscow is supporting the Syrian government in its fight against terrorism and will continue its support.
Putin stressed that both Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government and the opposition forces should unite to battle the terrorists.
The conflict in Syria, which started in March 2011, has reportedly claimed more than 240,000 lives up until now.
The violence has also forced over four million Syrians to take refuge in neighboring countries, including Jordan and Lebanon. More than 7.2 million others have been displaced internally, according to UN figures.
Syria blames western countries led by the US and their regional allies including the Israeli regime, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey for being the main backers of terrorists fighting to topple the country’s legitimate government.