Top Syrian diplomat has no doubts in success of Russian anti-terrorist efforts in Syria

ABU DHABI, October 5. /TASS/. Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday he had no doubts Russia’s air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria will be successful.

"Undoubtedly, Russia will win this competition. I have no doubts in that," he said in an interview with the Al Mayadeen television channel. "The reason is pragmatic and simple: Russia is coordinating its actions with the Syrian army, the only force in Syria that really counters terrorism."

"Combat actions yield results when ground operations are coordinated with air strikes," he said, adding that the United States had not been coordinating their actions with the Syrian government. That is why, in his words, after 9,000 air strike delivered over the past year by US warplanes against the Islamic State, this terrorist group had only become stronger, with wider geography.

Russia’s aerospace forces launched pinpoint strikes against the Islamic State targets in Syria on September 30. The Russian air group in Syria comprises more than 50 warplanes and helicopters. According to Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, air strikes are delivered at military hardware, communications centres, transport vehicles, munitions depots and other terrorist infrastructure facilities. The military operation is conducted at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.