Russian combat jets carry out over 80 sorties to support Syrian troops offensive

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia’s Aerospace Forces have carried out more than 80 sorties to support the offensive by Syrian government troops onto Deir ez-Zor, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.

It said that in the east, the Syrian army with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, was developing an offensive on the city of Deir ez-Zor. The group under the command of Gen. Hassan Suhel, acting in the south of the Raqqa province, have advanced 8 kilometers (5 miles) over the past day, capturing two strategic hills.

“Detachments of the Syrian army conducting an offensive from the direction of Al-Sukhnah, as a result of offensive operations, drove the terrorists of ISIL (Islamic State terrorist group, banned in Russia) from the positions held along the Palmyra – Deir ez-Zor road… Russia’s Aerospace Forces made more than 80 combat sorties to support by combat jets the offensive of the [Syrian] government troops on Deir ez-Zor,”

the ministry said.

It said the Russian jets’ strikes had left 70 terrorists killed or injured, adding that two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and over 10 SUVs with heavy weaponry had been destroyed.

“The defeat of ISIL in the Deir ez-Zor area and the unblocking of the city will become the international terrorist group’s strategic defeat in the Syrian Arab Republic,”

the ministry said.