Second day of Russian airstrikes target Syrian insurgents

Video by a group calling themselves the Revolutionary Command Council – who are loosely affiliated with the Free Syria Army – showed a series of smoke plumes rising above the city of Hama after heavy bombardment.

The Syrian army is hitting the area as they attempt to free the road between Homs and Hama, according to RTR’s report, calling up tanks and artillery while relying on government and Russian airstrikes for cover.

The US and its allies fear that Russia, which has backed the family of President Bashar Assad since the current leader’s father was in power, is using the air campaign as a pretext to go after anti-Assad rebels that include CIA-backed groups.

Russian jets appeared to be primarily bombing central and northwestern Syria, strategic regions that are the gateway to Assad’s strongholds in the capital of Damascus and the coast.

The heartland of the group known variously as Daesh or Islamic State is, however, in the North East of Syria, leading to questions of who the real targets are.

Russian jets appeared to be primarily bombing central and northwestern Syria, strategic regions that are the gateway to Assad’s strongholds in the capital Damascus and the coast.

As concerns grew about a conflict that has now drawn in warplanes from the world’s two most powerful militaries including that of the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied reports that civilians were killed in any Russian airstrikes.

(euronews.com)