The Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 892 terrorist targets near the Syrian town of al-Bab, according to the Russian General Staff."The jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed 892 terrorist targets near al-Bab," Chief of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said on Tuesday.
Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including
al-Nusra Front and
Daesh, banned in a range of countries, including Russia.
Russia has been conducting a counter-terrorist campaign in Syria since September 30, 2015, at President Bashar Assad's request.
Comment: As Alexander Mercouris
reports, ISIS is facing one of its largest military defeats yet:
Reports are circulating - some of which are traceable to Jihadi sources - that fast advancing Syrian army forces have completed the encirclement of 5,000 ISIS fighters who are trapped in the strategic north Syrian town of Al-Bab.
If true then this begs the major question of whether the Syrian troops who have been advancing on Al-Bab from the south are coordinating with the Turkish troops who together with Turkey's Jihadi allies have been trying to take Al-Bab from the north.
One of the key reasons why ISIS has survived and grown in strength over the last few years is that conflicts between its 'enemies' have always prevented them from working together against it. Indeed some of ISIS's 'enemies' (Turkey for instance) have in the past tried to use the organisation for their own purposes.
If the Syrians and the Turks - backed in this case by the Russians - can be brought to fight ISIS together in Al-Bab, then with 5,000 of its fighters apparently trapped in the town the organisation could be facing its biggest ever military defeat in the Syrian war.
Comment: As Alexander Mercouris reports, ISIS is facing one of its largest military defeats yet: