26 February 2016•Update: 27 February 2016
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his military jets will continue the aerial offensives in Syria regardless of the recent agreement with the U.S. to halt clashes in the war-ridden country as of Friday midnight.
"We will keep on with our army operations in Syria against Daesh and other terrorist groups even after the ceasefire takes effect," he told the press after meeting with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officials at Kremlin on Friday afternoon.
The “cessation of hostilities” deal announced earlier this week by Washington and Moscow is hoped to allow aid to be delivered to desperate Syrians.
Putin stated that he received the information that all sides of the Syria conflict will stick to the deal to stop the ongoing hostilities.
"However, our operations against Daesh, the Nusra Front and all other organizations that are considered as terrorist by the United Nations will continue," he said.
The president further expressed hope that the "U.S. will understand the need for continuing with the operations against terrorist groups like Daesh."
"Now we need to securely close the Russian soil against the militants that may come from the Middle East and other regions. We must immediately identify and neutralize those who were involved in terrorist actions," he said.
Putin also urged for further measures to prevent a possible refugee flow into Russia.
He further argued that Moscow's sole aim in its Syria campaign is to "restore stability in the region, and enable return of those who had to flee their homes”.
As Amnesty International announced on Wednesday, the Russian air campaign in Syria has claimed the lives of 600 civilians so far.
“The Russian attacks reportedly killed at least 600 civilians and struck at least 12 medical facilities in areas controlled or contested by non-state armed groups,” the human-rights group said in its annual report for 2015.
Since beginning its air campaign in Syria last September, Russia has come under mounting international criticism amid reports that it has been targeting civilian areas -- and the opposition groups that control them -- in an effort to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
But while Moscow says its warplanes are targeting Daesh positions in Syria, some members of the western NATO alliance say Russia is targeting moderate opposition groups opposed to Syria’s Assad regime.
In recent months, ongoing airstrikes by Russian warplanes have forced more than half a million Syrians to leave their homes, with many fleeing to Turkey or other neighboring states.
