Putin Announces 'Next Phase' In Syria Military Operation

November 22, 2015 - Russia's President Vladimir Putin says a next phase of military campaign is needed in the fight against the ISIL terrorists in Syria as the first hasn't achieved enough.

Putin said a second phase is required because Syria hasn't been cleansed of terrorists and Russia isn't protected against a possible attack yet. In a video conference, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed President Putin on the military campaign in Syria. Shoigu said the number of jets battling the ISIL in Syria has doubled to almost 70, adding that 10 Russian vessels, six of them in the Mediterranean Sea, are involved in the war against the terror group. 
Shoigu also told Putin that the military is carrying out over 140 sorties in Syria on a daily basis. On Friday, warships from Russia’s Caspian Sea fleet fired 18 cruise missiles at the ISIL positions in Syria. According to the military, 600 terrorists were killed in Dayr al-Zawr province and seven missiles hit their targets in Raqqah, Idlib and Aleppo provinces.