On Thursday, the chief of the Russian military General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, had a phone call with his French counterpart to discuss cooperation in the fight against the ISIS. The call followed Putin’s order to the military to cooperate with the French ‘like with allies.’
Gerasimov said the Paris attacks and the downing of the Russian plane in Egypt are ‘links of the same chain,’ adding that ‘our anger and our grief should help Russia and France unite their efforts in the fight against international terrorism’.
French President Francois Hollande will visit Washington and Moscow next week for talks on pooling U.S., Russian and French efforts against IS.
Russian jets flew more than 100 combat sorties on Thursday, following 126 the day before, after President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to escalate their campaign in Syria.
His order came after it was confirmed the Russian plane crash in Egypt that killed all 224 people on board was downed in a terror attack, which ISIS-affiliated groups claimed responsibility for.
Russia’s Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov said a squadron of Tu-22M3 long-range bombers struck six facilities in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir el Zour, hitting ISIS oil refineries, an ammunition depot and a facility manufacturing and repairing mortars.
Meanwhile, Tu-95 strategic bombers launched 12 long-range cruise missiles on targets, including its headquarters in the province of Idlib, fuel depots and a factory making explosives.
He said earlier that Russian warplanes were focusing their strikes on the ISIS’ oil production and refining facilities as well as oil trucks.
He said that they destroyed about 500 trucks carrying oil in several days of strikes.
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