Tag Archives: Air Strikes

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More than 20 killed in air strikes by Assad regime in Damascus

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Newsroom24x7 Desk

Syria-DamascusWashington, DC:  There are reports of aerial strikes on Thursday by the Assad regime in Syria, on a school and hospital in the Damascus suburb of Deir Al Asafir, where more than 20 people are believed to have been killed and dozens injured, including women, children, and first responders.

The US has condemned the attack in the strongest terms and said any attacks directed at civilians must stop immediately.

In joining the cessation of hostilities, even apart from its commitments to avoid attacking groups participating in the cessation of hostilities, the Assad regime committed to full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which called for an immediate end to any attacks against civilians and for all parties to comply with their obligations under international law.

World

Saudi-led strike hits wrong troops in Yemen

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yemen conflictYemen : Northern Shia Muslim rebels known as Houthis, backed by forces loyal to Yemen’s ex-president, took over parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and forced the government into exile in the early months of March this year. The rebels accused the government of corruption and of planning to marginalize their heartland within a proposed federal system. Following which, Forces loyal to the government and southern militias regained control of Aden in July, aided by Saudi-led coalition air strikes and troops.

This Saturday, Saudi-led air coalition targeting Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen mistakenly hit a pro-government position, killing at least 20 troops, as confirmed by security officials. At least another 20 people are supposedly injured due to this act of mistaken target bombing. The strike took place between the southern Taiz and Lahj provinces, that region in Yemen which had been witnessing very fierce clashes recently in the immediate past days.

A pro-government security official informed media that probably, the attackers miscalculated a Houthi-presence in the hit-zone, and took on them, presuming that the Houthis were still placed in that region. It is important to note that the Saudi-led coalition has been backing forces in Yemen loyal to the exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Pro-Hadi forces retook Lahj and four other provinces in mid-July as part of a southern offensive.

Fighting has catapulted for months in Taiz, Tiaz being that region which had been under the siege of the the rebels since last year. Tiaz has been projected as a route from which the roads to capital capture gets opened, as it has been seen as a gateway to the capital Sanaa.

A separate coalition air strike on Saturday killed 13 Houthi rebels in the desert province of Jawf. Separately, three pro-government fighters were killed in rebel rocket shelling in Marib province east of Sanaa. Hundreds of Sudanese troops reportedly arrived in the southern port city of Aden on Saturday. This troop strength was a preliminary batch of an expected 10,000 reinforcements for the Saudi-led coalition, which are expected to take their positions sooner than later, with a mission of securing Aden – the region which stood witness to a surge of assassinations of pro-government military leaders in recent weeks.

Around 4,500 civilians have been killed in the conflict since March. Additionally, nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced due to long standing conflict. The UN estimated that around 13 million people faced food shortages and 80% of the population needed some form of aid in an urgent basis.

World

Putin defends Russia’s air strikes on Syria

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Russia syriaRussia : Russia began its air strikes in Syria on 30 September and has been continuously supporting its action and clarifying its stand on it. A recent one came from the country leader himself, when President Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s military operations in Syria, saying the aim has been towards stabilizing the legitimate authority of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Putin expressed his views and clarified his government’s stand on Syria, while speaking to Russian media. He told Russian state TV that Russia wanted to create conditions for a political compromise in Syria. On words spreading about Russia targeting opposition groups on the sly, Putin strongly condemned and denied that Russian air strikes were hitting moderate opposition groups rather than Islamic State militants. Putin said Russia’s aim was to stabilize the government in Damascus.He stressed that without Moscow’s support for President Assad there was a danger that terrorist groups could overrun Syria.Assad’s government was currently under siege and militants were at the edge of Damascus, he added.The Russian leader also urged other nations to unite efforts against this evil (terrorism).

Syria is reeling under pressure of attacks, but Syrian forces are said to have made significant advances against rebels. Government gaining a strong hols in Idlib, Hama and Latakia provinces were on Sunday reported both by Damascus and opposition activists. The main battlefront presently is located in the region close to the key highway that links the capital with other major cities, including Aleppo. The strategy of Assad’s forces are supposedly centered around the plan of seeking cutting off of rebels in Idlib.

The US-led coalition – which has been carrying out its own air strikes in Syria – earlier said it would not be co-operating with Russia. Russia has been placed on the edge due to several countries – including the UK and Turkey – having described Russia’s support for President Assad as a mistake. Russia announced on Sunday that its aircraft carried out more than 60 missions over Syria in the past 24 hours, and that IS was its main focus target.

World

Syria crisis: Russia begins air strikes against Assad

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Syria_Russian air strikesDamascus: Russian aircraft soared the skies and began bombarding the rebel captive areas in Syria. This came in as a continuation of Syria’s civil war which has been going on for almost four years during which a varied number of armed groups have fought against the ruling government with an objective of overthrowing and toppling the government time and again.

The latest update on Syria crisis is this air strike which has been initiated by Russian defence personnel.Russia has begun carrying out air strikes in Syria against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.The strikes reportedly hit rebel-controlled areas of Homs and Hama provinces, causing casualties. Russian defence officials informed that aircraft carried out about 20 missions, targeting Islamic State.

The upper house of the Russian parliament earlier granted President Vladimir Putin permission to deploy the Russian air force in Syria.This air strike has then begun as a follow on activity of this permission to deployment of Russian air base in the war-struck state of Syria.Russian defence ministry said the country’s air force had targeted IS military equipment, communication facilities, arms depots, ammunition and fuel supplies – and did not hit civilian infrastructure or areas nearby.

Syrian opposition activists said Russian warplanes had hit towns including Zafaraneh, Rastan and Talbiseh, resulting in the deaths of 36 people, a number of them children.But they added that none of the areas targeted were controlled by IS.

The US responded to these air strikes, saying, says it was informed an hour before they took place. but US officials said that so far the Russians did not appear to be targeting IS-held territory.US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States was prepared to welcome Russian military action in Syria – but only as long as it was directed against IS and al-Qaeda-linked groups.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, Mr Kerry said the US would have grave concerns if Russia conducted strikes against other groups.He said the US-led coalition against Islamic State would dramatically accelerate America’s efforts, but care and precaution would be taken for which US was prepared to hold talks with Russia about avoiding accidental conflicts between the two air strike campaigns as early as possible.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said the Russian strikes were probably not in IS-controlled areas. But he warned that Russia’s military moves were doomed to fail.

US and its allies have insisted that President Assad should leave office, while Russia has backed its ally remaining in power.