Russian Ships In Caspian Sea Launch Missiles on ISIS In Syria

Russian warships attack ISIS positions in Syria from Caspian Sea | Russia Today | plus (VIDEO)

Russia’s Defense Ministry has published a video of its warships firing cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea to hit the positions of Islamic State militants in Syria.

“[Last] night the ship strike group of the Russian Navy, consisting of the Dagestan missile ship, the small-sized missile ships Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug launched cruise missiles against ISIS infrastructural facilities in Syria from the assigned district of the Caspian Sea,” the ministry said.

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Russian warships launch 26 missiles against ISIS from Caspian Sea

According to the ministry, the Russian military attack was conducted “by high-precision ship missile systems Kalibr NK, the cruise missiles of which engaged all the assigned targets successfully and with high accuracy.”

Syrian forces begin ground offensive backed by Russia air and sea power | The Guardian |

A Syrian official said the new ground operations are concentrated in the western province of Hama and northwest province of Idlib. Earlier, Syrian activists said Russian airstrikes hit rebel sites in both areas in apparent preparation for ground troops.

Wednesday’s airstrikes were carried out by Russian fighter jets and attack helicopters, activists said. There were no immediate reports of casualties, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syrian activists posted videos of the apparent strikes on YouTube. Scenes posted by the Revolutionary Command Council, a coalition of rebel groups, showed explosions and plumes of smoke in what the group said was a village in north Hama. Rebels also claimed to have destroyed several Syrian regime tanks.

Russia has staged a massive military build-up in pro-regime areas of Syria in recent weeks. The United States, too, is launching air raids on Islamic State targets in parts of the country.  

○ Syrian army and Russian jets target rebels in western Syria | Hürriyet Daily News |

US and Turkey to Provide Air Cover for ‘Moderate’ Syrian Rebels | Al-Arabiya |

Reversing a long standing decision by the two countries, the United States and Turkey have announced plans to provide air cover for “moderate” Syrian rebels. While the Pentagon has admitted severe problems in identifying so-called moderates, the new strategy is meant to combat ISIL and to establish a safe zone along Turkey’s Syrian border.

While the Turkish government has been lobbying for the establishment of coalition-enforced “no-fly zone” along its Syrian border, the United States has long been opposed to such an operation.

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Turkey and the United States have agreed to provide air cover for “moderate” Syrian rebels fighting Islamist militants, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said late Sunday after Turkish warplanes took off for a new wave of air raids on bases of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Davutoglu also said Turkey does not intend to send ground troops to Syria.

“If we are not going to send in land units on the ground, and we will not, then those forces acting as ground forces cooperating with us should be protected,” Davutoglu was quoted by the Hurriyet newspaper as telling Turkish media editors.

He also said the Democratic Union Party (PYD) can “have a place” in the new Syria if they cut ties to the embattled President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, cooperate with opposition, and not disturb its neighboring Turkey.

Before his latest statements, the premier said military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria and PKK in Iraq have “changed the regional game.”

Turkey attacked Kurdish insurgent camps in Iraq for a second night on Sunday, security sources said, in a campaign that could end its peace process with PKK.

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NATO said in a statement on Sunday that the North Atlantic Council, which includes the ambassadors of all 28 NATO allies, would meet following a request by Turkey to hold consultations under Article 4 of NATO’s founding Washington Treaty.

 “Turkey requested the meeting in view of the seriousness of the situation after the heinous terrorist attacks in recent days, and also to inform allies of the measures it is taking,” NATO said.

 “NATO allies follow developments very closely and stand in solidarity with Turkey.”

NATO Partner Turkey Bombs Kurds in SE Near Iraq Border by Oui @BooMan on Oct. 14, 2014

Just to illustrate how messed up the US coalition is to fight the Islamic State across Syria and Iraq!!

Quite a selective R2P policy by the Obama administration and its “coalition” of fifty nations. Why did the western coalition save the Sinjar mountain people and not the Syrian Kurds?

○ Syrian Kurds protected their territory by fighting jihadists of Al Nusra Front to dismay of Turkey
○ Turkish fighter jets bomb PKK positions for first time since start of peace bid | Hürriyet Daily News |