Russia: Air campaign against ISIS has intensified in last 24 hours - Defence Ministry

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Major-General Igor Konashenkov confirmed that the Russian Air Force had stepped up its air campaign against the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS) whilst speaking from the Defence Ministry in Moscow, Saturday. "Su-34, Su-24M and Su-25SM made 64 sorties from Hmeymim airbase against 55 Islamic State targets. The increase of intensity in the sorties of Russia's Air Forces is connected with a considerable increase in the amount of ground targets around the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic discovered by aerial and space intelligence," Konashenkov stated. The Defence Ministry spokesperson went on to detail the IS positions targeted by the Russian Air Force in the latest round of airstrikes. "During the last twenty-four hours our air forces destroyed two control stations of the terrorists, a storage with ammunition in Hama Governorate, twenty-nine field camps of the terrorists, twenty-three fortified positions and positions with ammunition and military vehicles," he stated, adding that As a result of the strikes, Konashenko said that "many of the terrorists are dispirited and are actively leaving the areas of combat, moving in eastern and north-eastern directions."