Most Russian strikes in Syria in 2016 targeted opposition fighters, not terrorists - State Dept
WASHINGTON. July 19 (Interfax) - A majority of Russian airstrikes in Syria in 2016 were made against opposition fighters, not terrorists, according to an annual report on global counterterrorism, published by the United States Department of State on Wednesday.
"Despite rhetorical emphasis on operations against ISIS and al-Nusrah Front (al-Qa'ida's affiliate in Syria) [both terrorist groups are banned in Russia], the great majority of Russian airstrikes in Syria targeted the moderate opposition," the document says.
Russia aimed to cooperate with other countries on counterterrorism, the report also said.
"Russia also continued to pursue counterterrorism cooperation with foreign partners, and expressed a desire to work with the United States to address terrorist threats," the authors of the report, which describes the 2016 events, said.
