Syrian president says his troops are advancing on all fronts thanks to Russian airstrikes

ATP — Syria’s president says his forces are advancing on “almost” all fronts thanks to Russian airstrikes that began nearly two months ago.

Bashar Assad told China’s Phoenix Television that the Russians depend on Syrian ground forces and “co-operate with us.”

Russia, which has conducted an air campaign in Syria since Sept. 30, sharply raised its intensity in recent days on President Vladimir Putin’s orders after Moscow said it had confirmed that a bomb brought down a Russian plane over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Assad said the Russian airstrikes are more effective than those of the U.S.-led coalition because “you cannot fight terrorism with airstrikes alone.”
Assad’s comments were carried by Syrian state media on Sunday.