A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
Warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out strikes against six hideouts of terrorists in the Syrian governorates of Homs and Deir Ezzor, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria announced on June 11.
“During the past day, the Russian Aerospace Forces delivered airstrikes on six places of the deployment of militants who left the al-Tanf area [which is controlled by United States forces] and were hiding in hard-to-reach areas of the al-Amur ridge in the Homs governorate and the Al-Bishri ridge in the Deir Ezzor governorate,” Major General Yury Popov said.
The Russian military commander added that reconnaissance operations continue in desert and mountainous areas in the Homs, Deir Ezzor and in the governorate of Raqqa.
On June 12, video footage showing the strikes announced by the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria surfaced online.
Around 200 U.S. troops are usually deployed at garrison in al-Tanf. The coalition maintains a 55-kilometer no-fly zone around al-Tanf. Still, VKS warplanes fly over the garrison on a regular basis.
Attacks on government forces in Homs, Deir Ezzor and Raqqa and other parts of central Syria have increased in recent months. Most of the attacks were blamed on ISIS, which rarely claims responsibility.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the terrorist group has killed 40 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters in addition to six civilians in the central region since the start of June. The numbers may not be very accurate as the London-based pro-opposition monitoring group is known for exaggerating government losses.
The U.S. claims that it is present in al-Tanf to counter ISIS. Nevertheless, the real purpose of the garrison is to block the strategic Damascus-Baghdad highway. In addition, the garrison is reportedly being used as an outpost to collect intelligence and facilitate Israeli attacks against Syria.
Syrian and Russian officials have repeatedly accused U.S. forces in al-Tanf of training and arming militants, including members of ISIS.
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pathetic braindead russians being bled dry before even the main course showdown with the west lmfao. lil dispensible ukraine is doing a alright job so far. putin number 1