WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States saw no indication that the Syrian army, supported by Russian air force, made any advances on the territories seized by the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorists, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Steve Warren said on Tuesday.
“I haven’t seen any indication that the Assad regime has been able to make progress based on the Russian airstrikes,” Warren stated in a briefing.
Warren’s statement contradicts recent reports by the Syrian authorities.
On Saturday, political chief of the Syrian army, Gen. Samir Suleiman, said Syrian forces continued advances on the territories seized by IS terrorists, and over the past days liberated a valley 15 miles away from the city of Idlib.
13 October 2015, 15:41 GMT
The Syrian general added that Russian airstrikes that destroyed ammunition depots and militant bases in the valley and in the major city of Jisr al-Shughur, a stronghold of militants, seriously undermined the militants' fighting capabilities and provided the Syrian army with an opportunity to attack.
On September 30, the Russian upper House of Parliament unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin's request to deploy the Russian force abroad, focusing on anti-IS airstrikes in Syria, after Syrian President Bashar Assad turned to him for assistance.
