Russian airstrikes take out 80 Daesh fighters in Syria

Russian jets destroyed a large Daesh convoy attempting to escape the Syrian city of Raqqa and roll towards Palmyra. Dozens of vehicles carrying heavy weaponry manned by over 80 terrorists were hit, Russia Today reported Thursday.

On Monday night, three Daesh convoys left Raqqa heading south towards Palmyra, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a Thursday statement.

The airstrikes were called in after the movements were spotted by reconnaissance units.

The Russian Air Force targeted the convoys on the run, killing 80 militants and destroying 36 vehicles, eight fuel trucks, and 17 pickups carrying mortars and large-caliber machine guns.

The Russian task force in Syria has warned that any attempts by Daesh militants to escape Raqqa through an open corridor towards Palmyra will be met with coercive force, the military noted.

This is not the first time Daesh militants have tried to retreat from their Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. On May 25, a large Daesh convoy made up of 39 vehicles and 120 militants was spotted outside Raqqa, a Defense Ministry source said.

"The terrorist convoy of 39 pickup trucks was detected and destroyed by the Air Force on its way to Palmyra," the source said, adding that the vehicles had been equipped with large-caliber machine guns.

On Wednesday, the Russian Navy fired four Kalibr cruise missiles from the eastern Mediterranean that targeted terrorist compounds east of Palmyra. The missile strike decimated Daesh positions near the city, the Defense Ministry said.

Source: MENA