Russia Will Not Send Troops to Fight Islamic State in Syria

Dmitry Peskov also added that Syrian President Bashar Assad had never asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to send troops to Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) —Russia has no plans to send its military personnel to fight Islamic State militants in Syria or to join the coalition airstrikes against ISIL positions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

"This possibility is not on discussion agenda at all," Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

Peskov added that Syrian President Bashar Assad had never asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to send troops to Syria.

Islamic State has taken control of vast territories across Iraq and Syria, attempting to branch out to other countries in the region.

The Syrian government has been fighting IS jihadists on the ground to curb the group’s advance.

Since 2014, a US-led coalition has been launching airstrikes against the group’s positions in Syria and Iraq. The military campaign in Syria is carried out without permission from Damascus.

Russia has repeatedly criticized the coalition’s actions for not seeking approval from the UN Security Council. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would support the formation of an anti-terrorism coalition if Syria considered it appropriate and possible.