LATAKIA /Syria/, June 7. /TASS/. Russian military instructors held drills with Syrian servicemen at a coastal practice range in Syria’s Latakia on Monday.
"The training range allows firing various types of small arms. A 25-meter pistol shooting range and a 100-meter assault rifle shooting facility have been prepared," Combat Training Chief of Russia’s Syria Military Contingent Aleksey Plisov said.
A gunnery range for preparatory firings from the guns of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles has also been prepared on the training ground.
Many Syrian servicemen have combat experience but have some problems either with army tactics or fire accuracy. "We are training them to do it right, with the smallest amount of munitions, to strike with the first cartridge and hit the target with the first shot," Russian officer Dmitry Barar explained.
"The Russians have extensive military experience. They are first training us in theory and then in practice on a training ground. We use the skills that we acquire in real combat. We will pass on this knowledge to our fellow servicemen from the Syrian army," a lieutenant of Syrian special operations forces told Russian journalists.
The Syrian government troops use only Russian-made weapons. As Syrian soldier Ahmed said, a Kalashnikov assault rifle was more than just a reliable gun for him: ‘The Russian assault rifle is the best in the world. When a Kalashnikov assault rifle is with me, I feel as if a security guard is together with me," he said.