- Russia launches first airstrikes against targets in Syria
Russian defence spokesman says equipment belonging to terrorists hit, although reports suggest strikes have targeted groups linked to Free Syrian Army
In a dramatic escalation of the war in Syria, Russia has launched a series of airstrikes that it said were aimed at Islamic State terrorists but which mainly appeared to hit less extreme groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The Russian gambit, the first time the country has launched major military action outside the borders of the former Soviet Union since the end of the Cold War, came two days after the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, spoke to the UN and called for an international coalition against terrorism to fight Isis.
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