MESOP : Systematic humiliations & provocations against Obama/ Kerry – Russian Strikes Target CIA-Supported Rebels

Though Russia claimed yesterday its airstrikes targeted the Islamic State, Syrian rebel groups told reporters that the strikes hit other groups, including some rebels believed to have participated in a CIA-supported training program. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter noted that the strikes, which occurred in western Syria, were in locations “where there probably were not ISIL forces.” The U.S. representative of the Syrian National Coalition denounced the strikes, saying, “The Russian claim that they are there to fight ISIS is a baseless claim, and that was proven today. They are there to uphold a regime that lost its legitimacy and only controls 14 percent of the land in Syria.”

So far, Russia has conducted approximately 20 airstrikes, according to the Russian military. Russian officials have made contradictory claims about who has been targeted: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in New York that “the rumors that the targets of these strikes were not positions of ISIS are groundless,” but when a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the strikes, he told reporters there are multiple targeted groups. “These organizations (on the target list) are well-known and the targets are chosen in coordination with the armed forces of Syria,” he said. Iran has announced its full support for the Russian air campaign. The U.S. and Russia have agreed to urgent military talks to discuss potential coordination and deconfliction. www.mesop.de