Stephen Lendman

Russia remains committed to defeating the scourge of US-sponsored terrorism in Syria. What’s coming strategically remains to be seen.

Iran agreed to let Russia fly long range combat missions from its Hamadan airbase - shortening a 2,000 km flight from its own territory to around 700 km, enabling more rapid responses against terrorists in Syria with increased payloads by combining airpower from Syrian and Iranian bases.

On August 16, Tass said Russian long-range Tu-22M3 bombers and “frontline” Su-24 warplanes attacked terrorist positions. Monday’s mission “destroyed five large depots with armament, ammunition, fuel and lubricants, militants’ training camps in the areas of the communities of Serakab, Al-Bab, Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor, and also a large number of militants,” Tass reported.

“The arms and ammunition depots, the training camps and the command posts destroyed by the air strike were used to provide supplies for the militants operating in the area of Aleppo.”

Protected by support Sukhoi-30SM and Sukhoi-35 aircraft, long-range and frontline bombers “destroyed five large depots with armament, ammunition, fuel and lubricants, militants’ training camps in the areas of the communities of Serakab, Al-Bab, Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor, and also a large number of militants.”

“The arms and ammunition depots, the training camps and the command posts destroyed by the air strike were used to provide supplies for the militants operating in the area of Aleppo.”

Tass said mission objectives were accomplished. Separately, it quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu saying his government and Washington are “in a very active stage of negotiations” on the situation in Aleppo - talks ongoing in Geneva and Amman, Jordan.

“We are step-by-step approaching an alternative,” Shoigu explained. “I am speaking only about Aleppo now, that will help us to find some points in common and to start actually a joint fight to see peace established in that territory…”

Russian convoys “constantly” supply area residents with desperately needed humanitarian aid. America delivers arms and munitions to its terrorists foot soldiers on the ground.

Both countries are intractably apart on resolving things overall. Washington insists Assad must go. Russia supports the right of all Syrians to decide who’ll lead them, along with preserving national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Shoigu spoke hopefully about reaching common ground with Washington on Aleppo - “to see peace established in that territory” so residents can return home and start rebuilding their lives.

It requires a giant leap of unfounded faith to believe America will compromise in any meaningful way on its imperial project anywhere.

Russia’s best efforts to resolve US-instigated conflicts in Syria and Donbass, Ukraine accomplished little - nothing toward restoring peace and stability in both countries.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html