Russia still striking civilian opposition sites in Syria

12/1/2015 4:56:47 AM

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Russian warplanes have continued to target civilian areas and positions held by Syria’s moderate opposition despite an earlier pledge by Russian President Vladmir Putin to refrain from doing so.

"We have agreed to contact regional countries to learn in which areas [Syria’s] moderate opposition exists" Putin said at a Nov. 26 press conference held following a meeting with French counterpart Francois Hollande.

"Russian air forces" he added "will not conduct operations there."

Since then however Russian combat aircraft have targeted nine different civilian and opposition-held areas of Syria’s northwestern Idlib province according to local sources.

On Saturday in an operation supported by Syrian regime ground forces Russian warplanes struck the towns of Salkin Sarmada and Dana as well as Idlib’s Taftanaz Eriha Cebel ez-Zaviye Kansafra and Cisr es-Sughur districts.

In one Russian airstrike a bakery that provides bread for some 40000 people sustained heavy damage.

On Nov. 25 one day before Putin made his pledge Russian warplanes struck an aid convoy delivering supplies to Syrian refugees killing seven drivers and leaving 20 trucks in flamesinAleppo’s Azaz district.

And on Sunday at least six people were killed near Azaz when Russian warplanes again targeted an aid convoy.

Russiabegan its air operations in Syria on Sept. 30with the ostensible aim of supporting the embattled regime ofSyrian President Bashar al-Assad.

While the Kremlin says its airstrikes target the Daesh militant group some members of the western NATO alliance believeRussiais targeting armed opposition groups opposed to Assad including some that enjoy U.S. and Turkish support.

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