According to Putin, Assad Willing to Work With Rebels
A day after the two heads of state met in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Bashar al-Assad had signaled he was willing to talk to armed rebel groups if they are truly willing to engage in dialogue and are committed to fighting Islamic State, Reuters reports.
Putin said the two had discussed the need for a political solution, and that despite the criticism from several Western governments regarding Russia’s massive aerial campaign, he is of the belief that Russia’s military steps in Syria may create the right sort of conditions for negotiations.
“I will pull open the curtain a little on my talks with President Assad,” Putin said Thursday evening.
“I asked him: ‘What view would you take if we found, now in Syria, an armed opposition which nonetheless was ready to oppose and really fight against terrorists, against Islamic State? What would be your view if we were to support their efforts in fighting Islamic State in the same way we are supporting the Syrian army?’” the Russian president said.
Assad reportedly said he would “view that positively.”
Coalition Jets Hit ISIS Oil Field in Syria
Warplanes connected to the U.S.-led coalition heavily bombed ISIS-controlled oil refineries, command and control centers and infrastructure in Syria’s Omar oil field, the Associated Press reports.
The coalition’s attack, which took place on Wednesday, is one of the largest strikes since the coordinated air campaign nearly a year ago. Spokesman Col. Steven Warren said coalition jets hit 26 targets, in a move that is connected to the larger strategy of targeting the jihadist group’s ability to generate money.
The self-proclaimed Islamic State group has commandeered a number of oil refineries in Syria and Iraq since its establishment, in a move to generate income and create a truly autonomous state.
Rights Group Says Seven Hospitals Have Been Bombed in Syria
At least seven medical facilities have been hit by airstrikes in Syria since Russia began its aerial campaign in the war-torn country on Sept. 30, according to the group Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).
While it is impossible to distinguish whose planes carried out the strikes, PHR, the group that documented the attacks, holds Russia responsible, citing evidence it says was released by the Russian Defense Ministry indicating Russian planes were in the Hama, Latakia and Aleppo provinces when the facilities were hit, the New York Times reports.
Since the beginning of the violence in Syria back in March 2011, PHR has documented the death of 679 medical workers. Nearly 90 percent of the attacks have been carried out by troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad, according to PHR.
Recommended Reads
- The Washington Post: Plans by U.S. to Capture Islamic State’s Capital Already Go Awry
- The Huffington Post: After Four Years of War, Why Are So Many Fleeing Syria Now? For Many, Support Just Ran Out
- Foreign Policy: Russian Troops in Syria Will ‘Stay Until the End’
- Al-Jazeera English: On The Bride’s Side
- The Christian Science Monitor: Could A Hezbollah Offensive Test Russia-Iran Alliance In Syria?
- The New York Times: U.S. is Debating Ways to Shield Syrian Civilians
Top image: Russian air force crew stand next to a fighter jet in preparation for a combat mission at Hemeimeem air base, Syria, on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov)