Russian Military Destroys Economic Infrastructure Of IS Militants

The Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed the economic infrastructure of Islamic State militants group, leaving them with no sources of financing in Syria for purchasing weapons and ammunition and recruiting mercenaries, the defense ministry in Moscow said.

"The Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed the economic infrastructure of ISIL (former name of IS) in Syria and foil any attempts by terrorists to resume the production and illegal sale of hydrocarbons in Syria. ISIL no longer has the sources of financing for purchasing weapons and ammunition and recruiting mercenaries in Syria," Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying by TASS on Tuesday.

"The ongoing supply of terrorists from Iraq triggers serious questions concerning the objectives of operations against terrorists conducted in the region by US aircraft and the so-called international coalition," Konashenkov stressed.

For the past week, the focus of the Russian-led air campaign in Syria has been to annihilate terrorists in the city of Al-Mayadeen, one of the terrorists’ last strongholds southeast of the city of Deir ez-Zor.

Russia’s Aerospace Forces carry out up to 150 strikes per day on the forces joining the Islamic State militants near Mayadeen in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor Governorate, he said.

The Defense Ministry noted “daily attempts” to transfer fresh reinforcements from Iraq to the Al-Mayadeen war theatre, comprising well-armed “foreign mercenaries” on “armored vehicles [and] pick-up trucks with large-caliber weapons”.

On October 7, the ministry announced that it killed about 120 Daesh militants and more than 60 foreign mercenaries coming into the Syrian border town of Albu Kamal from Iraq.