Kremlin Spokesman Unaware of Russian Airstrikes Against ISIL in Syria

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that he does not know anything about the possibility of Russian airstikes against ISIL in Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday he knows nothing of possible airstrikes by Russian military against Islamic State positions in Syria and said the question should be addressed to the Russian Defense Ministry.

"I don’t know, that needs to be addressed to the military. I know nothing of any strikes," Peskov told journalists in regard to Western bloggers reporting that Russia is actively involved in military operations in Syria.

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011. The country’s government is fighting a number of allegedly moderate opposition forces, as well as radical Islamist organizations, including the Nusra Front and the Islamic State.

A US-led coalition has been launching airstrikes against the ISIL positions in Syria since 2014 without approval of Damascus.

Russia, on the other hand, has been supporting the Damascus authorities militarily. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would not commit any troops for ground operations in Syria, but was considering bolstering collaboration with regional actors fighting extremist groups.