Russian Aerospace Forces Destroyed Over 122,000 Terrorist Targets in Syria

The Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out over 40,000 missions, including over 21,000 sorties during the night time, in the course of their operation in Syria, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the fifth ASEAN and Dialogue Partners Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM-Plus) in Singapore.

کد خبر: ۸۴۴۲۹۴

تاریخ: ۲۸ مهر ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۹:۲۹

"In the course of the military actions, over 122,000 terror targets have been eliminated. The main part of the militants has been killed," Shoigu said.

"In Syria, we have received the vast fighting experience which we are ready to share," he pointed out.

Peaceful life was being restored in Syria, the defense minister added, noting that over 2,500 settlements across the country have joined the reconciliation process due to the work of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria.

The key focus of the Middle Eastern country's authorities was on solving humanitarian issues and returning refugees to their homes, the minister noted.

Shoigu also said that the return of militants to the Asia Pacific region after fighting in Syria and Iraq boosts terror threat in Southeast Asia.

"The return of terrorists, who have received fighting experience in Syria and Iraq, to the Asia Pacific region remains an acute problem. They represent the ready force for joining local terror cells… Terrorism becomes the more and more grave threat for Asia Pacific states. This is caused by the activities of the significant number of extremist organizations in Southeast Asia," Shoigu said.

The extremist groups operating in the region used force for its fight and sought to establish strong ties with international terror groups, Shoigu added.

Money flows to Asia Pacific states for supporting terrorist cells and holding terror attack had been more and more often detected recently, he said.

The defense minister called for causing irreparable damage to the terrorists' capabilities.

Russian Defense Minister also said that the cells of the Daesh* terror group have been fully dismantled in Syria with Russia's support in the course of three years of Moscow's participation in the operation.

"Over 87,500 militants have been killed, 1,411 settlements and over 95 percent of the Syrian territory have been liberated in the course of the operation," Shoigu said.

"Key settlements have been liberated… The Syrian Armed Forces currently control the territory where over 90 percent of the country's population live," Shoigu added.

Russian Defense Minister also said that Russian demining specialists have cleared 6,500 hectares (over 16,000 acres) of Syrian territory from mines in the course of their operation in Syria.

"Russian demining specialists have cleared over 6,500 hectares of the Syrian territory, 1,500 kilometers [over 930 miles] of roads, over 19,000 buildings from mines," Shoigu said.

The defense minister suggested that all the conditions had been created for the revival of Syria as a united state, noting that other members of the global community, apart from Russia, should contribute to this.

Shoigu emphasized Russia's role in helping Syria refugees return home from abroad. The minister also recalled that an interdepartmental coordination center for the return of Syrian refugees was operating in Moscow, while a center for refugees reception and resettlement was working in Damascus.

Over 245,000 Syrians have returned to their country from abroad since the beginning of the Russian operation in the Middle Eastern country, while around 2 million people have expressed their will to return to their homeland, according to Shoigu.

*Daesh (also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) is a terrorist group, banned in Russia and many other countries.