Page 2 - ATD 8OCT,2015

A2 Iran lobbied for Russian campaign
in Syria, according to Iraq officials
UP FRONTThursday 8 October 2015
QASSIM ZAHRA
Russia fires missiles from warships into Syria VIVIAN SALAMA
Associated Press
N. VASILYEVA and other groups opposed ducted from four warships BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran played an integral role leading
Associated Press to President Bashar Assad. in the Caspian. Shoigu in- up to Russia’s move to launch its air campaign in Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A Syrian official and activ- sisted the operation de- and play a stronger role in Iraq, with one of Tehran’s
Russian warships in the Cas- ists said government troops stroyed all the targets and most powerful generals meeting for three hours with
pian Sea fired cruise missiles pushed into areas in the did not launch any strikes President Vladimir Putin to push for intervention, Iraqi
Wednesday as Syrian gov- central province of Hama on civilian areas. government officials tell The Associated Press.
ernment troops launched a and south of Idlib in the The launches marked the Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds
ground offensive in central boldest multipronged at- combat debut of the Rus- Force, went to Moscow in August with the message
Syria in the first major com- tack on rebel-held areas, sian Kalibr long-range that Russian airstrikes against the Islamic State group in
bined air-and-ground as- benefiting from the Russian cruise missiles, equivalent Syria were imperative, said the two senior officials, who
sault since Moscow began air cover. The official spoke to U.S. Tomahawk missiles. were later briefed on the meeting. Soleimani and Pu-
its military campaign in the on condition of anonymity “The fact that we launched tin reviewed maps and surveillance photos and shared
country last week. because he was not autho- precision weapons from intelligence, all suggesting the militant group would ex-
The missiles flew nearly rized to talk to the media. the Caspian Sea to the dis- pand its reach to Russia’s doorstep in the Caucuses if
1,500 kilometers (930 miles) Moscow has mainly tar- tance of about 1,500 kilo- Moscow didn’t act, the two officials said.
The meeting also covered plans to create a joint intel-
In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site, ligence-sharing center between Iraq, Syria, Iran and
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, a Russian navy ship launches a cruise missile in the Caspian Sea. Russia in Baghdad, which began operating later the
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said four Russian navy ships in the Caspian launched 26 same month. Soleimani also met with senior Russian
cruise missiles at Islamic State targets in Syria. military officials during his visit, the officials said. The two
officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they
(Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) were not authorized to talk about the secret meeting,
The Iranian role points to the powerful influence of the
over Iran and Iraq and geted central and north- meters and hit all the desig- country, which is the strongest backer of Syrian Presi-
struck Raqqa and Aleppo western Syria, strategic nated targets shows good dent Bashar Assad and is close to the Shiite-led leader-
provinces in the north and regions that are the gate- work by military industrial ship in Iraq’s U.S.-backed government. Russia’s dive into
Idlib province in the north- way to Assad’s strongholds plants and good skills of the Mideast’s conflicts marks a shifting of alliances, par-
west, Russian officials said. in Damascus, and along personnel,” Putin said. ticularly with Iraq, where officials have grumbled that
The Islamic State group has the Mediterranean coast Andrei Kartapolov of the the U.S.-led coalition’s air campaign against IS has not
strongholds in Raqqa and where Russia has a naval Russian General Staff told been as effective as they hoped and the prime minister
Aleppo, while the al-Qai- base. Russian news agencies the has said he’d welcome Russian airstrikes.
da-linked Nusra Front has a The Russian airstrikes strikes strikes were planned so that Asked on Wednesday about the reported Putin-So-
strong presence in Idlib. appear to have embold- the cruise missiles would fly leimani meeting, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov
U.S. Defense Secretary ened Syrian troops to “over unpopulated areas.” shrugged it off by saying that there are too many
Ash Carter said Russia was launch the ground push Shoigu also said Russia has statements from unidentified officials. At the time, Rus-
continuing to strike targets after a series of setbacks in carried out 112 airstrikes on sia’s deputy foreign ministry spokesman said he has
other than Islamic State northwestern Syria in recent IS positions since Sept. 30. “no information whatsoever” that Soleimani visited
militants, adding that he months. Iranian state TV, citing Rus- Russia, which would be a violation of U.N. travel sanc-
was concerned about the The Islamic State group is sian media, reported that tions against the general. The Iranian government on
Syrian ground offensive not present in the areas the Russian missiles flew Wednesday did not respond to requests for comment
backed by Moscow’s air- where the ground fighting through Iran’s airspace on the reported meeting.
power. is underway. and hit targets in Syria. Russian military jets launched the airstrike campaign
The latest developments The offensive in central Syr- “The Russian military opera- in Syria on Sept. 30, targeting what Moscow said were
came a week after Russia ia and the ensuing clashes tion in support of the Syrian positions of the Islamic State group and al-Qaida’s
began airstrikes in Syria, its with militants, including the army continued at new branch. But it has also heavily hit rebels on the front-
longtime ally, on Sept. 30, Nusra Front, was the first higher technological lev- line against Syria’s military, raising accusations that it is
and added a new dimen- major ground fighting since el,” said Putin’s spokesman intervening to boost Assad in the civil war, now in its fifth
sion to the complex war the Russian campaign be- Dmitry Peskov, adding that year, after a series of losses by his military. Russia denies
that has torn apart the Mid- gan. Appearing on televi- the Syrian army began an this, saying its campaign is solely intended to stop the
east country since 2011. sion with President Vladi- offensive “with our fire sup- spread of militants.
Activists and rebels say mir Putin, Russian Defense port. The U.S. meanwhile has had to navigate around re-
the targets have included Minister Sergei Shoigu said gional alliances and enmities in trying to roll back IS’s
Western-backed fighters 26 missile strikes were con- Continued on Page 27 spread across large parts of Iraq and Syria. In Syria,
Washington refuses to work with Assad’s government in
the air campaign, saying Assad needs to leave power,
and it has been wary of appearing to help Syrian troops
with strikes against IS.
In Iraq, the U.S. has been wary of helping to deepen
Iran’s influence and has avoided coordinating with the
Shiite militias, trying instead to boost the Iraqi military,
while pressing the Shiite-led government to ease sec-
tarian tensions with the Sunni minority. Washington and
Tehran refuse to work with each other directly, even as
Iran takes a powerful role in fighting IS.
Soleimani, Tehran’s point man in both the Syrian and
Iraq conflicts, has been key in organizing Shiite militias
in Iraq and Syria, which have had a leading role in fight-
ing IS. q