A Russian Su-24 strike aircraft in the sky over the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti
Warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) had targeted hideouts used by militants in the governorates of Homs and Deir Ezzor in central and eastern Syria, according to the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria.
In two separate statements released on September 25 and 26, Captain 1st Rank Oleg Ignasyuk, deputy chief of the center, said that two separate waves of strikes hit four and eight hideouts in the two governorates.
“In the provinces of Homs and Deir Ezzor, the VKS delivered strikes on four hideouts, used by militants who left the al-Tanf zone,” the Russian official said in both statements.
Around 200 U.S. troops are usually deployed at a garrison in al-Tanf, along with hundreds of militants from a proxy group known as the Syrian Free Army. The U.S. maintains a 55-kilometer no-fly zone around al-Tanf. However, VKS warplanes fly over the garrison on a regular basis.
Attacks on government forces in Homs and Deir Ezzor increased in recent months. Most of the attacks were blamed on ISIS, which rarely claims responsibility.
The U.S. claims that it is present in al-Tanf to counter ISIS. However, the real purpose of the garrison is to block the strategic Damascus-Baghdad highway. The garrison is also reportedly being used as an outpost to collect intelligence, facilitate Israeli attacks against Syria and train militants.
Syrian and Russian officials accused U.S. forces in al-Tanf of training and arming militants, including members of ISIS, more than once in the past.
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