MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. The United States has notified Russia’s Defence Ministry that nobody but terrorists were in the area targeted by Russian aviation, Col-Gen Andrey Kartapolov of the Russian General Staff has told reporters.
"The U.S. has notified us during contacts that there was no-one but terrorists in that region," Kartapolov said at the National Defence Control Centre (NDCC) noting Russia had announced about the start of air strikes in advance.
"The U.S. military attach· to Iraq was the first to be informed by our representative in Baghdad Gen Kuralenko on Wednesday morning," he said adding that the information had been delivered to the U.S. side through diplomatic channels as well.
"During these contacts we recommended that all the instructors and advisors should leave the region alongside valuable specialists who had been trained for the U.S. taxpayers’ money. We also recommended that all flying vehicles and aircraft should cancel their flights in the area of the operation of Russian combat planes," the general said.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Federation Council empowered the president to use Russian military outside the national territory. The air operation was launched against Islamic State in Syria at the request of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Earlier, Putin said that Russia would not be involved in operations on the ground.
Since Wednesday, Russian Air Force’s aircraft have been bombing Islamic State facilities located in Syria.