Russian Airstrikes In Syria May Start Soon

An unnamed US official said Russia is set to conduct airstrikes in Syria at any moment since they are already prepared. The official added that since Russian pilots have completed a number of familiarization flights, it is expected to start conducting airstrikes soon. However, the United States is still uncertain what Russia aims to do and when it will decide to start conducting airstrikes.

The Latakia air base already has four SU-34 Fullback fighter planes along with over 600 troops. Peter Cook, spokesman for the Pentagon, said the members of the staff of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter were ordered to keep communication lines open with the Russians for possible de-confliction. The discussions were worked out with the objective of ensuring the safety of the air crews of the coalition.

Cook said the two countries have a common objective when it came to dealing with ISIS or ISIL. Carter made it clear that the objective was to bring the fight to ISIL and not to protect the regime of Assad. While Russia is positioning itself in conducting airstrikes in Syria, US officials said their movement hints at the possibility that they have other targets aside from ISIS.

The Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, General Phillip Breedlove, said the Russians have set up a complex network of air defenses on the airfield, including sophisticated air-to-air warplanes on the airfields. General Breedlove added that ISIL does not have any planes that require the use of SA15s or SA22s. ISIL also does not have planes that require modern air-to-air capabilities.

General Breedlove added that the capabilities and capacities set up by the Russians were not meant to deal with ISIL alone through airstrikes in Syria. They were designed for something else.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said during a Senate hearing that while the missile treaty of Russia with the United States was violated by the Russians, the US administration is not planning to act on it for the moment. Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire asked Work if the Russians may have violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Work answered that it is likely they violated the treaty. He added that this issue was still being discussed and there was no decision on how to deal with the issue. He said the United States contacted Russia and informed them about the issue.

Russia builds up forces in Syria in preparation for airstrikes - image credit: channelnewsasia.com

At the moment, the effort of the United States gaining the upper hand in Syria has hit an obstacle. A US defense official said they have stopped the movement of new Syrian recruits into training centers in Turkey and Jordan, where they were supposed to be trained and equipped to fight ISIS. While a number of fighters are already in the training centers, no new fighter will be brought in until a decision is made on the changes to be made with regard to the effort.

A number of options were taken into account, including training rebels in communications and offering assistance in calling in the airstrikes in Syria.

The action was considered as a pause until a decision is made in the effort. The effort in checking Syrians who want to contribute to the effort was also paused. The program was criticized by President Vladimir Putin of Russia during his recent UN address. While Putin and President Barack Obama of the United States were confrontational towards each other during their speeches, they met later in the day to discuss Ukraine and Syria.

A senior administration official said it was necessary to clarify the objectives of Russia, who aim to conduct airstrikes in Syria against ISIL and provide support for the government.

Defense officials had earlier revealed that the United States thinks that Russia is concerned about President Bashar al-Assad of Syria not being able to retain power and it aims to position itself in supporting a proxy if the situation deteriorates. Russia may also aim to support Assad amid calls from the United States for his resignation.

Sightings of multiple rocket launch systems were reported by US intelligence at Russian ports, and they may be shipped to Syria. Russia will also have long-range bombing capabilities with the transfer of a number of long-range bombers to airfields along the southern region of Russia.

While a coordination center was set up by Russia and Syria in the Hamah province, officials are unsure about its purpose. Drones were sent into the some areas in Latakia and Hamah, which are nowhere near positions controlled by ISIS. A number of Russians tanks, artillery, armored vehicles and planes were moved into Syria as part of a strategic building of Russia in Syria, but the objective of the movement remains unclear.

The intelligence on the new developments also show that the United States has dedicated a good amount of its satellite capabilities in monitoring the movement of Russian forces close to and into Syria.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday September 30 2015, 10:05 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0