Russia: Intensified air campaign kills "about 600" militants - General Kartapolov

Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov of Russia's armed forces announced from Moscow, Wednesday, that "one of the militant groups lost about 600 people," on the first day of Russia's redoubled air strike campaign against militant groups in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier gave the greenlight to intensify airstrikes following news that Russia's Metrojet airliner was downed in Egypt by a bomb attack. In a move to intensify its already effective air campaign, the number of sorties were ordered to be doubled by Moscow. The general said that more strikes are underway, stating that "at 05:00 in the morning Moscow time, the Russian Air Forces began a second massive air raid against terrorist groups in Syria." Kartapolov reported that "in total 127 sorties were made" engaging "206 terrorist targets" including the "so-called pipeline on wheels," adding that "Russian aviation destroyed about 500 of these trucks" that transport crude oil to Iraq. The general believes that this has "significantly reduced the possibility of militants to employ illegal exportation and generate revenues from oil smuggling."