BFF-47 Russia confirms air strikes on Syria’s Idlib

247

ZCZC

BFF-47

SYRIA-CONFLICT-RUSSIA

Russia confirms air strikes on Syria’s Idlib

MOSCOW, Sept 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The Russian military on Wednesday
confirmed air strikes were carried out on Syria’s last major rebel stronghold
Idlib with warplanes targeting the “terrorist” Al-Nusra Front on Tuesday.

“Four planes of the Russian group at the Khmeimim airbase inflicted strikes
by high-precision weapons on objects of the Al-Nusra Front terrorist group in
the Idlib province,” the Russian military’s spokesman Igor Konashenkov said
in a statement.

He said the strikes were conducted on September 4 “during the dark time of
day,” without specifying if it was early morning or night time.

“The strike was conducted on terrorist stockpiles located outside
residential areas, where unmanned aerial vehicles were stored, Konashenkov
said.

A warehouse which stored portable air-defence systems and drone launch
zones for attacks on Russia’s Khmeimim airbase and towns in provinces Aleppo
and Hama were also targeted, he added.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that at
least nine civilians, including five children from the same family, were
killed in the Russian raids, while 10 more people were wounded.

BSS/AFP/FI/ 1750 hrs