Russia: 88,000 rebels killed in three years

Moscow plays up its achievements since 2015 intervention as Al Assad, Russian officials discuss long-term settlement

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu yesterday said that almost 88,000 rebels had been killed in Syria in the three years since Moscow’s intervention to back government forces.

“Over the course of the operation, a total of more than 87,500 rebels have been eliminated, 1,411 settlements have been liberated and more than 95 per cent of Syria’s territory,” Shoigu was quoted as saying at a forum in Singapore in a ministry statement.

“Most of the rebels have been liquidated,” Shoigu said.

Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says close to 365,000 people have been killed during the seven-year civil war.

Russia launched strikes in support of President Bashar Al Assad’s regime in September 2015.

Russian air forces have carried out more than 40,000 bombing missions, hitting about 120,000 targets of “terrorist” infrastructure, Shoigu said.

The defence minister said that “Syrian armed forces currently control territory where more than 90 per cent of the population lives.”

Meanwhile, Al Assad met representatives of Russia’s foreign and defence ministries in Damascus on Friday, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday.

During the meeting, they discussed development of situation in Syria and reaffirmed their commitment to the “destruction of terrorist presence” and how to advance towards a long-term political settlement in the interest of all Syrians.

Russian air forces have carried out more than 40,000 bombing missions, hitting about 120,000 targets of “terrorist” infrastructure, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said yesterday.