News Press TV: Daesh withdrawing from positions in Syria: Russia

Moscow says Daesh Takfiri terrorists appear to be abandoning their positions in Syria, as army forces, backed by Moscow’s air support, continue to make more gains against the militants on different fronts.
Major General Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for the Russian Defense Minisry, said on Thursday that the militants “are retreating; they are trying to build new position areas and to adjust the logistics system providing them with ammunition, armaments and gear on their way.”

Konashenkov further said Russia is processing and analyzing data from Russian sources and an intelligence-sharing center in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad regarding the developments in Syria.
Iraq, Iran, Syria and Russia formed the Baghdad information center in late September as part of their efforts to fight terrorist organizations operating in the Middle East, particularly Daesh.

“Clearly, we have stepped up the intensity of reconnaissance flights of aircrafts and unmanned aerial vehicles for verifying and confirming this information,” the official added.

Meanwhile, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday that Russian warplanes had conducted at least 15 airstrikes on the edge of Syria’s western town of Talbiseh and nearby areas, killing six militants there.

An image taken on October 14, 2015 from footage made available on the Russian Defense Ministry’s official website shows explosions after airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force on a Daesh facility in the vicinity of the city of Aleppo, northwestern Syria. © AFP

Russia launched its first airstrikes against Takfiri terrorists in Syria on September 30 at the request of the Damascus government. Moscow says its air raids are meant to weaken Daesh and other terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in Syria.
US role in Syria ‘unconstructive’
In another development on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the US for playing an “unconstructive” role in Syria, adding, “I don’t quite understand how our American partners can criticize Russia’s actions in Syria in the fight against international terrorism if they refuse to hold direct dialogue even in such an important area as political settlement.”
Putin made the remarks on a visit to Kazakhstan after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Washington had refused to host a Russian delegation for talks on the crisis in Syria and also refused to send its own mission to Moscow.
The US criticism of Russia’s anti-terror air raids comes as Washington, along with its Western and regional allies, have long been supporting the Takfiri groups operating to topple the Syrian government since 2011.
Since last September, the US and some of its allies have been carrying out airstrikes against what is said to be Daesh positions in Syria, but the air raids, which come without a UN mandate or coordination with Damascus, have so far failed to dislodge the notorious terror group in the Arab country.
The airstrikes in Syria are an extension of a similar US-led aerial campaign against alleged Daesh bases in Iraq, which started in August 2014.
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Yemeni forces down Saudi warplane in Sada'a Province

Yemeni army forces, backed by allied popular committees loyal to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, have shot down a Saudi warplane in the northern province of Sada'a. 
Yemen’s official Saba news agency said that the Saudi fighter jet was shot down and subsequently crashed in the Ghamar district of the province on Thursday.
The Yemeni forces have launched an operation to spot debris from the aircraft and shed light on the fate of the crew.
The fighter jet had reportedly conducted a number of airstrikes against Yemeni forces in the region.
Saudi regime forces have yet not commented on the incident.
Yemeni forces have shot down several Saudi warplanes and drones over the past few months in various parts of the country.

Last Friday, Yemeni forces shot down a Saudi reconnaissance drone in Sa’ada Province. Yemeni forces targeted the remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as it was flying over al-Dhaher district in the arid and mountainous province, which lies 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of the capital, Sana’a.
On October 9, Yemeni soldiers supported by popular committees’ fighters downed a Saudi spy drone in the Kitaf district of Sa’ada Province. The small UAV was later identified as a long-endurance Boeing Insitu ScanEagle.
In late May, Yemeni air defense forces took down a Saudi F-16 fighter jet in the Bayt Khayran area of the district of Bani Harith in the northern part of Sana’a.
On May 11 also, Ansarullah fighters brought down a Moroccan fighter jet violating the country’s airspace in the Noshour Valley of Sa’ada Province.
 Yemeni forces attack Saudi military bases
The latest incident comes hours after Yemenis forces fired a Scud missile from the capital Sana’a at the King Khalid airbase in the region of Asir in southwestern Saudi Arabia. They say the ballistic missile hit the target.

Smoke billows following a Saudi aristrike in the Yemeni capital Sana'a. (AFP Photo)

This is the second time the airbase in the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait comes under Scud missile fire.
Ansarullah forces have also launched a barrage of rockets into military sites in the border region of Najran inside Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni fighters have beefed up their retaliatory strikes against military camps inside of Saudi Arabia over the past weeks. Dozens of Saudi forces have been killed in the attacks.
Yemen has been under military strikes on a daily basis since Saudi forces launched their military aggression against their southern neighbor on March 26, in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to the fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Turkey, Saudi issue fresh warnings over Russia’s Syria action

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (L) delivers a speech during a joint press conference with Turkey's Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu (R) on October 15, 2015 in Ankara. (AFP photo)

Turkish and Saudi foreign ministers have once again warned Russia over its ongoing military action in Syria, with Ankara branding the air campaign a “big mistake.”
“We will continue with our warnings,” Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu said after a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir in Ankara on Thursday.
Sinirlioglu said Russia is making a "big mistake” and added, “What it does will bring no meaning or benefit, other than delaying the transition process to help Syria out of the chaos.”
The warnings came as Russia is entering the third week of its extensive air campaign against the Takfiri group Daesh and other terrorists in Syria. The attacks have infuriated both Turkey and Saudi Arabia, both opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Turkey’s concerns over Moscow's military campaign in Syria deepened after Russian fighter jets reportedly violated the NATO member’s airspace twice earlier this month. Military officials in Turkey said Thursday that a Russian military delegation arrived in Ankara with the aim of sharing data to prevent a repeat of airspace violations.
The Saudi and Turkish ministers also said they are in agreement that Assad must not have a part in Syria's future.
“Saudi Arabia and Turkey are in agreement on supporting the opposition in Syria. What is important is a political solution,” Jubeir said, adding, “We are in agreement that there will certainly be no role for Bashar al-Assad.”
Russia, meanwhile, has voiced full support for Assad’s fight against terrorism, with President Vladimir Putin saying before the attacks began that it would be a huge mistake to exclude Assad from any effort meant to fight Daesh and other militants in Syria.