The first Russian raid in Syria, which took place just two days after the meeting between Putin and Obama to smooth out the profound differences in the approach of their countries in the conflict, would not have been directed against the positions of the Islamic State. According to some US officials, taken from the US newspaper The Washington Post, the Russians would have bombed units backed by the United States and previously trained and armed by the CIA.
It is undeniable that the introduction of "Russian air power" in Syria will upset the US strategy which, to date, continues to show clear gaps in approach. The Russian raids have demonstrated, once again, that Putin supports Assad and the same status quo that Obama continues to define as the main cause of the Syrian issue. The Pentagon said it was annoyed by the first Russian raid, also due to the methods used: Moscow would have notified the start of the bombing only an hour before the operations started.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the bombers have hit twenty Target of the Islamic State in Rastan, Talbiseh and in other cities near Homs, strategic point of the Region. Immediately after the raids, the Pentagon expressed strong doubts about the units affected. We know that the area of Homs was the hotbed of the popular uprising against Assad in the 2011 and was never identified as a stronghold of the caliphate. The Russian bombers would have taken action to pave the way for Assad's armed helicopters.
The province of Homs is the main link between the capital Damascus and the government strongholds on the Mediterranean coast, including the port city of Latakia (and the Tartus naval base operated by Moscow). The Russians, still awaiting the official Pentagon statement, would have bombed the town of Lataminah, in the western Syrian province, under the control of the Tajammu al-Aaza rebel group. The group, backed by the United States, also published a video showing fighter planes plying the sky a few seconds before they began to drop bombs.
The CIA has trained thousands of fighters in its secret bases in Jordan, in an attempt to strengthen moderate factions against the Assad government. The Russian strike on US-backed units will only disrupt relations with the Obama administration from which a response is now expected.
(photo: TASS / web)
