NATO warns of troubling Russian escalation

in Syria

Object 1

This video released Wednesday by Russia's defense ministry shows Russian warships in
the Caspian Sea launching cruise missiles on targets in Syria. (Russian Defense
Ministry/YouTube)

By Erin Cunningham and Craig Whitlock-October 8

BEIRUT NATOs secretary general warned Thursday of a troubling escalation in

Russian military activities in Syria, saying the alliance stands firmly behind member
Turkey even as Moscow broadens its air and sea attacks.
NATO is able and ready to defend all allies, including Turkey, against any threat,
Jens Stoltenberg said from the alliances headquarters in Brussels as defense
ministers gathered for a meeting.
In Syria, we have seen a troubling escalation of Russian military activities, he added.
Stoltenberg accused Russia of violating Turkish airspace during bombing runs against
anti-government rebels in Syria earlier this week. On Wednesday, the Pentagon said it
diverted at least one U.S. aircraft to avoid confrontation with Russian warplanes in
Syrian airspace.
Stoltenberg told reporters that Turkey had not made any requests for additional troops
or weapons from NATO, though he said the alliance was in constant dialogue with
Ankara over the Russian military presence near its borders.

You have to remember that Turkey is a strong ally, he said, noting that Turkey has
the second-largest army. The important thing for Turkey is that they know they are a
part of NATO, that the security guarantees are 100 percent rock-solid.
Meanwhile, NATO is reconsidering its plans to withdraw Patriot missile batteries
deployed to Turkey.
The alliance had stationed three batteries in Turkey in 2013 to deter cross-border
rocket and missile attacks from the Syrian government. Two of batteries manned by
Germany and the United States are scheduled to be removed this fall, leaving a
single unit operated by the Spanish military.
[No exit ramp for Putin]
In Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its warships in the Caspian Sea
fired four more cruise missiles at Islamic State targets in Syria overnight, hitting
militant positions in three provinces, a statement said without giving full details.
The announcement came one day after Russias Caspian Sea fleet launched cruise
missile strikes against Syrian rebels from nearly 1,000 miles away, a potent exhibition

of Moscows firepower as it backs a government ground offensive.

On Thursday, Russian warplanes also backed Syrian troops and allied militias in a
widening effort to reclaim territory in western Syria from various rebel factions
opposing Moscows key ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The groups include
Western-backed fighters.

Oct. 7, 2015People carry belongings recovered from a site hit by what

residents said were Russian airstrikes in the town of Darat Izza,
Syria. Ammar Abdullah/Reuters
Russia continues its military operations in Syria.
The government push began Wednesday in Hama and Idlib provinces in Syrias
northwest. On Thursday, the offensive expanded toward the Mediterranean shores
near Latakia, a western stronghold of Assads Alawite sect, and the al-Ghab plain, also
in the western part of the country.
[Syrian forces begin ground offensive backed by Russia air and sea power]
The Free Syrian Army, which is backed by the United States and allies, posted a
number of videos showing rebels striking Syrian regime tanks with U.S.-made antitank missiles.
Rebels and activists also uploaded images of what they said were explosions from

Russian air strikes. It was unclear how many people were killed in the fighting.
Activists also reported Western-backed rebels had shot down two helicopters in Hama
province, although it was unclear if the downed aircraft were Russian or Syrian. The
reports could not be independently verified.
In a televised speech, Syrian chief-of-staff, Gen. Ali Ayoub, credited the Russian
strikes with enabling government forces to expand ground operations against
insurgents.
Today, the Syrian Arab armed forces began a wide-ranging attack with the aim of
eliminating the terrorist groups, and liberating the areas and towns that suffered from
their scourge and crimes, Ayoub said, according to The Associated Press.
Wednesdays bombardment was the first naval salvo of Russias week-old military
intervention in Syria, where it has already launched more than 100 airstrikes against
the Islamic State and factions of Islamist and U.S.-backed rebel forces opposed to
Assad.
Russia claims its intervention in the Syrian civil war is aimed at battling the Islamic
State. But a U.S. State Department spokesman said Wednesday that more than 90
percent of Russian strikes in Syria have targeted opposition fighters fighting the
regime of al-Assad, an ally of Russia.
[Why Russia is in Syria]
Also Thursday in Brussels, NATO defense ministers finalized long-standing plans to
expand its joint response force to 40,000 troops double the current number.
The alliance also announced that it would establish small regional headquarters in
Hungary and Slovakia, adding to six other new headquarters operations in eastern
European countries.
Those plans have accelerated since Russia seized control of Crimea and began
supporting separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine last year. Moscows military
intervention in Syria has further alarmed NATO members, who now must contend with
Russian troops adjacent to the alliances southeastern border.
NATO has to respond when we see a more assertive Russia behaving the way it has
behaved, Stoltenberg said.
In televised remarks on Wednesday, Putin encouraged the Free Syrian Army to join an
alliance with Assads troops against the Islamic State. At the same time, he belittled
the influence of moderate rebels on the conflict.
True, we dont currently know where it is and who is leading it, Putin said of the Free
Syrian Army.
A U.S.-led coalition, which has launched more than 7,000 airstrikes against the Islamic
State in the past year, has bristled at Moscows military buildup in Syria. Russia has
deployed surface-to-air missiles, fighter jets and radar-jamming equipment that

officials say is meant to interfere with Western forces.

On Tuesday, U.S. and Russian officials tentatively agreed to resume talks on how to
coordinate in the skies over Syria. Turkey, a NATO member that shares a border with
Syria, has already accused Russia of violating its airspace.
But Defense Secretary Ashton Carter ruled out any cooperation with Moscow in the
fight against the Islamic State, saying that Russias strategy was clearly just to support
Assad and his government.
We believe Russia has the wrong strategy. They continue to hit targets that are not
ISIL. This is a fundamental mistake, Carter said, using one of the acronyms for the
Islamic State.
Whitlock reported from Brussels. Daniela Deane in London, Hussam al-Refaie in
Beirut, Heba Habib in Cairo and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
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