The Syrian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Forces have launched coordinated attacks on positions of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in the area of al-Bab city, making the Turkish Air Force to decrease and even completely stop its combat sorties.
Photo: Sputnik / Maksim Blinov
The Syrian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Forces have started to carry out airstrikes on positions of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in the area of al-Bab city, located in northern Aleppo, making the Turkish Air Force to stop its operation in the region, the Alquds Alarabi newspaper reported, citing an unnamed Syrian military source.
According to the newspaper’s source, Syrian and Russian fighter jets have launched coordinated attacks on IS positions in the terrorist-held town of al-Bab. The joint operations made the Turkish Air Force to decrease and even completely stop its combat sorties in some areas of northern Syria.
The newspaper specified that helicopters of the Syrian Air Force, as well as the Su-22, the Su-24 and the Su-34 of the Russian Aerospace Forces take part in the joint operation against the IS in al-Bab. Alquds Alarabi also added that the Russia’s Night Hunter and the Crocodile helicopters, which recently arrived in Aleppo, most likely will join the operation in the very near future.
On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Moscow and Ankara agreed to coordinate airstrikes on terrorists in Syria, as well as signed a memorandum on combat flight safety during their missions in the Syrian airspace.
“The memorandum establishes mechanisms of coordination and interaction between Russian and Turkish aircraft during airstrikes against terrorist targets, as well as measures aimed at preventing flight incidents involving aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles in Syrian airspace,” a statement of the Russian Defense Ministry reads.