Russia joins Assad-led government forces against IS in Syria

By NewsGram Staff-Writer

Beirut: In a move that could further complicate the crisis in Middle East, the Russian forces are reported to have joined the government forces led by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in their fight against the Islamic State (IS).

Three Lebanese sources on the condition of anonymity confirmed this on Wednesday to Reuters but added that the number of Russians involved in the civil strife are still very small, according to an Economic Times report.

Russian government believes that Assad-led Syrian government should be involved in the larger fight against the IS that now controls large parts of Syria. But, US government sees Assad as a part of the problem itself.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke again to his Russian counterpart regarding increasing Russian military involvement in Syria and warned them that it could further complicate the situation and make way for more violence.

The ET report quoted White House spokesman Eric Schultz as saying: "We would welcome constructive Russian contributions to the counter-ISIL (i.e. Islamic State) effort, but we've been clear that it would be unconscionable for any party, including the Russians, to provide any support to the Assad regime."