MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/. Russian planes in Syria have flown 1,417 sorties over the past two weeks to deal 2,687 strikes against command centers, field camps and groups of militants and destroy 83 armored vehicles, the commander of Russia’s military group in Syria Colonel-General Sergey Surovikin said on Wednesday.
"Over the past two weeks Russian planes flew 1,417 sorties. A total of 2,687 strikes were delivered against command centers, field camps and groups of militants. Eighty three armored vehicles, more than 200 trucks carrying heavy machine-guns, multiple rocket launchers, artillery and anti-aircraft weapons and more than 1,200 terrorists were destroyed," he said.
To provide support for the advancing government troops Russian aircraft carry out rocket and bomb strikes against facilities of the terrorist organization Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) round the clock. In the final phase of the operation the intensity of air raids increased to 100 sorties a day and more. Each plane flies three or four sorties a day.
Surovikin said the planes were destroying newly-identified targets, mostly armored vehicles, tanks, truck convoys carrying ammunition and artillery positions, thereby leaving no chance for the IS terrorists to regroup forces.