US: Over 90% of Russian Attacks in Syria Are Not Against ISIS or Al-Qaeda

The United States claims that most of Russia's airstrikes in Syria do not target positions of the Islamic State (ISIS) or Al-Qaeda affiliates, but instead bomb moderate opposition positions. According to AFP, John Kirby, the spokesperson for the US State Department, stated on Wednesday, October 7, that "90% of the attacks we have witnessed so far were not against ISIS or Al-Qaeda terrorists." He added, "These attacks largely target opponents who seek a better future for Syria and do not want the Assad regime to remain in power." This is the first time US officials have provided specific statistics regarding Russian airstrikes in Syria. Kirby said, "It doesn't matter whether it's cruise missiles from the sea or bombs dropped from Russian aircraft; the result is the same: Assad continues to receive help from Russia." He continued, "As you know, Assad is still at his desk; he can target his own people, including those who oppose his regime." The US State Department spokesperson emphasized, "This is not a good future for Syria. As we have said before, Russia's actions are wrong. They not only increase sectarian tensions in Syria but may also exacerbate sectarian tensions within Russia itself." Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Russia and the Syrian government, along with allied militia groups, began a large coordinated operation against opponents of Bashar al-Assad's regime in western Syria on Wednesday, October 7. According to Reuters, the London-based Syrian Observatory, which has a network of sources inside Syria, states that these joint attacks target towns near the north-south highway that runs through the major cities of western Syria. The report indicates that Russian attacks have occurred in areas north of Hama province and near Idlib province. Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory, announced that the Syrian army used ground-to-ground missiles in these attacks and targeted four positions of opposing militants. A regional source knowledgeable about the situation in Syria also stated that Hezbollah militants from Lebanon accompanied the Syrian army in the attacks on Wednesday. On the other hand, Turkey summoned the Russian ambassador for the third time in four days, protesting what it called repeated violations of its airspace by Russian fighter jets. The Russian airstrikes in Syria, which began last week, have raised concerns in Washington and among its allies. Moscow claims it has a common goal with the West in preventing the advance of ISIS militants, who have seized large areas of Syria. However, opposition sources and Western countries assert that Russia is primarily focused on groups fighting against the Assad regime. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon also stated that only one-fifth of Russia's attacks have targeted ISIS positions. So far, Syrian state media have not reported on coordinated attacks with Russia against the opposition, only stating that Russian warplanes "bombed ISIS positions in the outskirts of Aleppo." According to Syrian state television, "government forces attacked extremist forces in the al-Shayrat gas field, two villages in Homs province, and the town of Atan in the east." Sergey Shoigu, the Russian Defense Minister, stated in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that since the start of air and missile attacks on Syrian territory on September 30, 112 positions have been targeted. He added that these attacks will intensify.