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Fight against Islamic state

Russia’s top general rejects allegations of warplanes bombing abandoned mosques in Syria

According to the general, the Russian air task force in Syria is deliberately avoiding air strikes on abandoned mosques, schools and hospitals in the Arab country, even if terrorists are staying there

© Alexander Yelistratov/TASS

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Defense minister: Russia will continue destroying financial base of terrorists in Syria

MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. The Russian air task force in Syria is deliberately avoiding air strikes on abandoned mosques, schools and hospitals in the Arab country, even if terrorists are staying there, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said on Wednesday.

"We’re deliberately avoiding strikes even against abandoned schools, hospitals and mosques, although we know that terrorists have equipped their positions in some of them," Gerasimov said at the 5th Moscow conference on international security.

The targets for the Russian air task force’s strikes are chosen on the basis of data from all types of reconnaissance, are confirmed by unmanned aerial vehicles and destroyed only after their careful selection, the general said.

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The Russian forces are also solving other tasks in Syria, the general said.

"Russian military advisers are providing assistance to the Syrian army command in planning combat operations against bandit formations and are taking part in the training of reserve military units and formations and their preparation for combat activities," the chief of the Russian General Staff said.

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