Russia to use only Air Force in Syria against ISIL on Assad’s request - Ivanov

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. Russia will use only its Air Force in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s request, Russian presidential administration chief Sergei Ivanov said on Wednesday. According to him, Assad "has requested military assistance from our country’s leadership." Ivanov said that "it will be an operation of the Russian Air Force exclusively." "The operation’s military goal is exclusively air support of the Syrian armed forces in their fight against ISIL," he said. This operation by the Russian Air Force is limited in time and the types of the used weapons are not disclosed, Ivanov added. "We are not pursing any foreign political goals or ambitions, of which we have been regularly accused. The point is just to defend Russia’s national interests," Ivanov said. He said that the number of citizens of Russia and countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that are joining the Islamic State terrorist group "is growing by leaps and bounds." "There are already not tens, hundreds, but thousands of such people some of whom have returned to Russia and one can easily imagine, not being a prophet, that they will continue to return to our territory," the Russian presidential administration chief said. "Thus, we should work proactively on distant approaches to prevent the emergence of this problem later in Russia," Ivanov added. The Federation Council upper house of Russia’s parliament has granted permission on Wednesday to the Russian president to use the Russian Armed Forces in Syria, Ivanov told reporters. "The Federation Council unanimously supported the president’s request - 162 votes in favor [of granting permission]," Ivanov said. The armed forces will be used exclusively in Syria, he added. Read more