MESOP FIRST RUSSIAN BODY COUNTING : Syria Daily: “Military Targets”? Russia’s Airstrikes Kill Family of 9 & Civil Defense Workers

By Scott Lucas October 4, 2015 07:10 Updated –UPDATE 1115 GMT: Russia has carried out more airstrikes on Sunday on opposition-held areas of Homs and Idlib Provinces.Activists report attacks on the Rastan Plain in northern Homs Province (see map), posting videos of injured children.The claims fit with the declaration of pro-regime websites that the Syrian military has begun its ground offensive on the Rastan Plain.

The latest attack on Talbiseh, where 50 people were reportedly killed on the first day of Russian bombing:

The Russian Ministry of Defense says bombing missions were carried out against eight targets near Jisr al-Shughour in Idlib Province on the Turkish border, converting the opposition-held area into “Islamic State” positions.Jisr al-Shughour was captured by rebels in late April. The Islamic State has no presence in Idlib Province.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: The fourth day of Russia’s bombing inside Syria was marked by more civilian deaths in opposition-held areas.

In one of the deadliest incidents, a “double tap” airstrike killed nine members of a family and two civil defense workers in Ihsem in Idlib Province, according to activists.

The Russian warplanes dropped several bombs, including on a poultry farm.. The rescuers died as a bomb struck moments after the previous attack.

Civil defense volunteer Issam Saleh, killed in the airstrike:

owever, the Russian military continued to maintain that it was hitting only Islamic State positions, with more than 60 sorties over 50 ISIS targets since Wednesday.

“We have managed to undermine material and technical resources of the terrorists and significantly reduce their combat potential,” Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov of the Russian General Staff said. “We will not only continue the strikes by our air force but also will increase their intensity.”

The General declared that the Russian airstrikes have caused “panic”, forcing about 600 militants to abandon their positions and head to Europe.

Rebels, Islamic State Attack Despite Russian Intervention

However, despite the Russian aerial attacks, rebels made a significant advance on Saturday, capturing a strategic hill in their offensive in Quneitra Province in southwest Syria.

The rebels took the hill Tal al-Ahmar, seizing weapons and ammunition and putting more pressure on nearby regime-held villages.

The offensive, begun last month, is hoping to link rebel lines in Quneitra Province with opposition-controlled parts of West Ghouta near Damascus.

In the northeast, the Islamic State forced the Kurdish militia YPG to abandon a headquarters in Hasakah Province. The Kurds withdrew after ISIS attacked the security headquarters near Mount Abdulaziz with car bombs and mortars on Friday.


n Homs Province, reportedly to pave the way for a ground offensive by the Syrian military.

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