Russia Began Air Campaign in Syria Due to 'US-Led Coalition's Inaction'

Russia began its military campaign in Syria since due to the inaction of the US-led coalition, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On September 30, Russia launched an air campaign against terrorist groups in Syria following a request from President Bashar Assad. Russian authorities have stressed that the military operation will continue as long as the Syrian Armed Forces continue their offensive liberating the country's regions from militant groups.

“We entered Syria, including the use of force from the air, since we felt it impossible to reconcile any longer with the quasi-actions, and basically the inaction from the US-led anti-Daesh coalition that has not solved its tasks,” Ryabkov told Russia’s Rossiya-24 television station in an interview.

The US-led coalition of 66 nations has been launching airstrikes against Daesh in Syria and Iraq since 2014. However, the operations in Syria have been conducted without the approval of the Syrian government or the UN Security Council.

Since 2011, Syria has been mired in a civil war with the country's government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations, including Daesh and al-Nusra Front.