{"id":48509,"date":"2015-10-07T12:04:55","date_gmt":"2015-10-07T19:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=48509"},"modified":"2015-10-07T12:06:54","modified_gmt":"2015-10-07T19:06:54","slug":"less-talk-more-action-russian-jets-destroy-isis-hqs-tanks-munition-depots-all-in-just-1-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2015\/10\/07\/less-talk-more-action-russian-jets-destroy-isis-hqs-tanks-munition-depots-all-in-just-1-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Less talk, more action: Russian jets destroy ISIS HQs, tanks, munition depots \u2013 all in just 1 week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy RT<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n
It\u2019s been a tough week for terrorists in Syria. Over seven days Russia delivered over a hundred airstrikes at various jihadist facilities across the country, reportedly igniting panic among some groups.<\/div>\n
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Trends<\/strong>Russian anti-terror op in Syria<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

According to a weekly roundup by the Russian Defense Ministry, the country\u2019s contingent in Syria has launched some 120 combat sorties over the week, hitting over 110 targets. The bombing destroyed over 71 pieces of armor, about 30 other vehicles, several artillery pieces, 19 command facilities, two communication centers, 23 depots with fuel and ammunition, six plants used to make IEDs, including car bombs, and several training camps.<\/p>\n

Terrorists on the run<\/h2>\n

The apparent goal of this phase of the operation is to undermine the militants\u2019 capability to keep the pressure on government forces through constant raids and terrorist attacks, and to give the Syrian Army a breathing space to regroup and launch an offensive.<\/p>\n

The targets of the Russian airstrikes were spread across Syria, from ISIS stronghold Raqqa in the northeast to the vicinity of the ancient city of Palmyra west of the Damascus-controlled western part of the country to the outskirts of Damascus in the south.<\/p>\n

According to the Russian military, the bombing campaign has hurt the morale of the militant troops, sending thousands\u00a0on the run.<\/p>\n

Top Guns<\/h2>\n

Russia\u2019s fleet of jets is varied as well. The core of it consists of well-tried workhorses like the Su-24 frontline bomber and the armored Su-25 ground-support fighter jet. Both planes were designed decades ago, although the Air Force brought the latest upgraded versions<\/a>\u00a0for the Syrian campaign.<\/p>\n

Newer planes are also there, like the Su-34, which entered service in Russia last year. The Syrian theater offers Russian engineers a test-field to try the plane, which can hit targets from an altitude of 5,000 feet, far from the range of anti-aircraft weapons in the possession of the militants.<\/p>\n