Russian strikes in Syria killed hundreds of militants: Putin

Russian airstrikes in Syria have killed hundreds of militants, President Vladimir Putin said today as he called for a shared military effort of ex-Soviet nations to prevent possible militant incursions to Syria from Afghanistan.

Putin told a meeting of leaders of ex-Soviet nations in Kazakhstan that the Russian military has achieved “impressive” results during the air campaign in Syria that began on September 30.

“Dozens of control facilities and ammunition depots, hundreds of terrorists and a large number of weapons have been destroyed,” he said.

Putin reaffirmed that the Russian bombing blitz against the Islamic State group and other radicals in Syria will continue “for the period of the Syrian troops’ offensive operations against terrorists,” but wouldn’t elaborate.

He said between 5,000 and 7,000 people from Russia and other ex-Soviet nations are fighting alongside Islamic State militants.

“We can’t allow them to use the experience they have just gained in Syria back home,” he said.

Russian jets have flown more than 600 combat sorties since <g data-gr-id="22">start</g> of the air campaign, said Col.-Gen. Andrei Kartapolov of the Russian military’s General Staff.

He shrugged off the U.S. claim that four of the 26 cruise missiles launched at targets in Syria by Russian navy ships from the southern part of the Caspian Sea had crashed on the Iranian territory.