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Fight against Islamic state

Syrian armed forces launch large-scale offensive — chief of General Staff

On Thursday, the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic launched a large-scale offensive to destroy terrorist groups and free regions and settlements suffering from terror and crime

© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Pochuyev

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Russian airstrikes undermine combat capabilities of IS gunmen — Syria General Staff

LATAKIA (Syria), October 8./TASS/. The Syrian army launched on Thursday a large-scale offensive with an aim to destroy terrorists and free areas and settlements hit by terror, Chief of General Staff Ali Abdullah Ayyoub said.

"On Thursday, the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic launched a large-scale offensive to destroy terrorist groups and free regions and settlements suffering from terror and crime," he said.

"For the past few years, the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic have retained the initiative, formed human resources," he said, adding that the fourth assault coups was one of the major combat formations.

Russia’s air and space forces started dealing daytime pinpoint strikes against facilities of the Islamic State terrorist group, outlawed in Russia, on Wednesday, September 30. The air group in Syria incorporates more than 50 planes and helicopters, including Sukhoi-24M, Sukhoi-25, and multi-functional Sukhoi-34.

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Shoigu also said on Wednesday that the Russian aerospace forces had hit 112 Islamic State targets since September 30.

Besides, four missile ships of the Russian Navy’s Caspian Flotilla on Wednesday launched 26 Kalibr cruise missiles at 11 targets. "All the targets were destroyed, no civilian facilities were damaged," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

Russia is not planning to take part in land operations in Syria.

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Syria Islamic State

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