By Genevieve Casagrande
Key Takeaway: Russian
airstrikes continue to primarily target Syrian opposition groups in
areas far from ISIS's core terrain. These strikes are concentrated in
northwestern
Syria, particularly in rebel-held areas of Idlib Province and the
northern countryside of Hama Province. The Russian Ministry of Defense
(MoD) claimed only three airstrikes targeting positions in known
ISIS-held terrain between October 1 and October 3. However, local
reporting only confirmed two of these strikes. The Russian air campaign
in Syria appears to be largely focused on supporting the Syrian regime
and its fight against the Syrian opposition, rather than combatting
ISIS.
The following graphic depicts ISW’s assessment of Russian airstrike locations based on reports from local Syrian activist networks, Syrian state-run media, and statements by Russian and Western officials.
High-Confidence reporting. ISW
places high confidence in reports corroborated both by official
government statements reported through credible channels and
documentation
from rebel factions or activist networks on the ground in Syria deemed
to be credible.
Low-Confidence reporting. ISW places low confidence in secondary sources that have not been confirmed or sources deemed likely to contain disinformation.
