MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow's decision to launch airstrikes in Syria, at the request of Damascus, to counter the Islamic state (ISIL) extremist group increases the chance of stopping the country's civil war, a Swiss lawmaker told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Russian combat jets launched their first "pinpointed" airstrikes on ISIL positions in Syria, targeting military hardware, arms and fuel depots.
"This is real politic, and I support it. It means that we have a good chance to vince [defeat] Daesh [ISIL]," Luc Recordon said.
Syria has been in a civil war since 2011. Government forces have been fighting both the so-called moderate opposition factions and extremist groups, such as IS and the Nusra Front.
