Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 7
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Russia, through its military action in Syria, is testing NATO, Armagan Kuloglu, the retired Turkish major general, exclusively told Trend Oct. 7.
He said the shelling of positions of the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) from the warships of Caspian Flotilla is nothing but a desire to show Russia's power to the world, and to the Caspian countries.
Kuloglu also said the emergence of the IS in Syria has given Russia a chance to intervene in that country.
He noted that Russia, along with the militants' positions in Syria, is also shelling the positions of the moderate Syrian opposition, which is supported by Turkey.
Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with the country's defense minister Sergei Shoigu, said the Caspian Flotilla warships fired at the IS facilities in Syria, hitting all the targets.
"The fact that we conducted the firing from the Caspian Sea at a distance of about 1,500 kilometers using high-precision weapons and hit all the set targets certainly suggests good preparation of the defense-industrial complex, and good training of personnel," said Putin.
From Sept. 30, Russia, at a request by Syrian President Bashar Assad, started air strikes on "Islamic State" targets in Syria, using Su-25, Su-24M, Su-34 jets, which are being covered mid-air by Su-30CM jets.
Russian warplanes have significantly breached the management and logistics system of the militants, inflicting damage to the infrastructure used to train suicide bombers, said the Russian Defense Ministry.
Targets are chosen on the basis of intelligence data of Russia and Syria, including aerial reconnaissance.
According to Russia's Defense Ministry, the Russian warplanes' equipment allows striking the IS throughout Syria with "absolute precision".
Edited by CN
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