Russian airstrike appears to have targeted anti-Assad rebels — not ISIS
American officials believe that Russia carried out its first airstrike near the Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday, leaving dozens dead. However, there is no presence of ISIS in Homs; rather, the airstrike appears to have targeted rebels fighting against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, some of whom have been supported by the U.S.
Earlier Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the attack targeted ISIS military equipment, communications centers, vehicles, and ammunition, CNN reports. The chief of Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration, Sergei Ivanov, also previously said that airstrikes would be used "in order to support the Syrian government forces in their fight against the Islamic State."
However, a senior U.S. administration official told CNN that the attack near Homs "has no strategic purpose" against ISIS. The strike "shows [Russia is] not there to go after [ISIS]," the official said.
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The reports appear to confirm suspicions that Putin's paramount concern is to bolster Assad's regime, and that he is using worldwide antipathy toward ISIS to justify Russia's intervention.
