(Newswire.net — October 8, 2015) — Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that the Russian NAVY fired 26 cruising missiles and destroyed ISIS targets in Syria. While NATO eyes were focused on the Russian ships in the Mediterranean Sea, Russians fired missiles from worships in the Caspean Sea, some 932 miles away, BBC reported.
Meanwhile, Syrian ground troops have launched an offensive under Russian air cover, Syrian officials say. Western media claims that Russians hit mainly non-IS targets, while Moscow claims they hit ISIS targets with surgical precision.
The surprise attack with 26 cruising missiles Wednesday, was a unique birthday present to Vladimir Putin because it wasn’t much about destroying ISIS targets in Syria as it was demonstration of force that made the Pentagon authorities scratch their heads, military expert and journalist Miroslav Lazanjski told the Web-tribune.com.
“Every radar stations and U.S. spy satellites were scanning the western part of the sky over Syria, while Russians deployed its cruising missiles “Caliber NK” from four ships from Caspian Fleet: Rocker warship “Dagestan” and from three smaller “Grad Svijazsk,” “Uglich,” and “Veliki Ustjug,” Lazanjski said.
“Total 26 missiles were fired on 11 targets, about 1000 miles away from the launch point,” he said adding that all military targets were destroyed with no civilian casualties.
Missiles flew undetected across Iran and Iraq territory on a very low altitude which those two countries allowed. The major question now is whether or not it is possible that the CIA was held completely in the dark about this.
Russian’s missiles type “Caliber NG” has a 2500 mile range and can auto-navigate to the target while flying 160 feet above land.
According to the Washington Post, Putin’s move may force Obama to “act or yield.” Assad’s troops are pushing the U.S. backed rebels deeper in the zone of Russian airstrikes. On the other hand, the scenario in which ISIS is defeated in Syria and Assad stays on power is not acceptable to U.S.
Putin’s strategy is that “you accept our terms on Assad, and then we step back and let you solve your own problems in Syria,” the Washington Post cited Igor Sutyagin, a Russian-studies expert in London’s Royal United Services Institute.
“If you don’t want, we create a complete mess… increasing the influx of refugees into Europe and your life gets more difficult,” Sutyagin said.
In a separate development, Russia’s foreign ministry has said Moscow is willing to establish contact with a Western-backed rebel group, the Free Syrian Army, to discuss fighting IS “and other terrorist groups”, and “preparing the ground for a political settlement in Syria”.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter, however said that coalition forces fighting IS in Syria would not co-operate with Russia.
“We believe Russia has the wrong strategy,” he said. “They continue to hit targets that are not IS. We believe this is a fundamental mistake.”
While US and Russia argue over Assad, Chinese aircraft carrier sailed into the Mediterranean Sea.