Russian MoD Refutes Claims of Servicemen Being Captured by Daesh

The Russian Defense Ministry has said that reports on Russian servicemen being killed or captivated by Daesh terrorists in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor are false.

The statement comes after Daesh released a video allegedly showing two Russian troops being capturd by terrorists.

"All servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, who are operating in the Syrian Arab Republic, carry out the assigned tasks for their intended purposes," the ministry said in a statement.

The news comes as Russia continues its anti-Daesh operation in Deir ez-Zor. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said earlier in the day that Russian jets had taken out seven Daesh terrorist field commanders, including a terrorism coordinator, in Syria on the eastern bank of the Euphrates over the past two days.

In early September, the Syrian government troops, backed by Russian airstrikes, broke a three-year Daesh blockade to the west and south of Deir ez-Zor.

Russia launched its military operation in Syria on September 30, 2015, at the request of the Syrian government, which has been fighting against various opposition groups as well as terrorist organizations since 2011.