A high-ranking Russian military officer said that the Russian naval warships in the Mediterranean Sea can be used to strike Islamic State targets in Syria.
Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov said in an interview with newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that the Russian warships stationed in the Mediterranean Sea could be used to fire missiles at Islamic State locations in Syria like its warships in Caspian Sea, which had already conducted strikes in the war-torn country, according to Reuters.
"Our naval group in the Mediterranean is mostly used for supplying materials. But to ensure that our supply lines are not disrobed, we have a group of warships there too. This groups also provides antiaircraft protection from our base," Kartapolov said in the interview, which was published Friday, RT reported.
He also made it clear that Russia does not see any moderate opposition in Syria. The U.S. and other western countries accused Russia of targeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assaad's opponents instead of ISIS.
"Any person who is fighting against the legal authorities with weapons in his hands...can you call him a moderate?" Kartapolov said, according to RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. He also claimed that Russian planes had struck nearly 380 ISIS targets since the start of the offensive on Sept. 30.
Kartapolov's statement about Russian military's Syria plans comes amid a report that Assaad's forces, with the backing of Russian airstrikes, have advanced to take control of the country's second biggest city of Aleppo from Islamist rebels.
"The Syrian army started a new front on Friday and advanced to take control of the villages of Abteen and Kaddar about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Aleppo city," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday, according to DW.
