The Upper House of the Russian Parliament approved the use of the country's armed forces abroad. The decision provides for the exclusive use of air forces and does not require any ground operation. This is what they communicate from the Kremlin.
"We are talking exclusively about the use of the Russian Air Force, as confirmed by our president. The use of ground forces is excluded. The military objective of the operations is aimed at the air support of Syrian government forces in their struggle against the Islamic State. The president of the Syrian Arab Republic has asked our country's leadership to provide military assistance. Terrorism must be fought, but it is still necessary to observe the rules of international law. Our goal is to save Syria in the exclusive interest of its people and not to satisfy, as the West has feared, our ambitions. As far as the timeline is concerned, we are not able to give a timing in how many aircraft we will use in their armament. We are the only ones to respect international law. The United States, France and Australia with their raids in Syria and Iraq have eluded international standards".
According to Fox News, Russia would have asked the US to immediately clear Syrian airspace. The Pentagon has shown no willingness to do so.
Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria have recently established an information center in Baghdad in order to coordinate the fight against the Islamic state.
(photo: Sputnik)
