Aerial airstrikes hit Daesh convoy, killing 80 terrorists fleeing Raqqah

Russian jets have destroyed three large convoys of Daesh Takfiri terrorists fleeing the Syrian city of Raqqah towards Palmyra, killing 80 militants.

According to a Thursday statement by the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian airstrikes targeted the convoys on Monday after reconnaissance units spotted them leaving Raqqah, the main stronghold of Daesh in Syria.

The airstrikes also destroyed 36 vehicles, eight fuel trucks, and 17 pickups carrying mortars and large-caliber machine guns.

The Russian task force in Syria has warned that any attempts by Daesh militants “to escape Raqqah through an open corridor towards Palmyra will be met with coercive force,” the statement said.

This is the second time over the past week that Russian airstrikes inflict heavy losses on Daesh convoys escaping from Raqqah to Palmyra.

On May 25, Russian jets attacked another Daesh convoy, killing as many as 120 and destroying 32 pick-up trucks.

On Wednesday, the Russian military fired cruise missiles from its warships in the Mediterranean towards Daesh positions outside the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, inflicting losses on the Takfiri terror group and killing a number of militants.

The control of Palmyra has passed from Syrian government forces to Daesh terrorists and back again a number of times since the Takfiri terror group first captured it in 2015.

In March, Syrian forces, backed by Russian air cover, regained control of the city from Daesh, killing around 1,000 Daesh terrorists in the offensive.

According to Russian sources, Daesh has entered a deal with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been fighting the Damascus government since 2011. In line with the agreement, the SDF would allow the Daesh terrorists leave the city, in spite of the concerted international endeavor aimed at limiting their presence to the city.

Daesh seized Raqqah in 2014, the same year when it started its campaign of terror in Syria. It then proceeded to capture large swathes of Syrian territory.

Russia has been lending aerial support to the Syrian counterterrorism operations since September of 2015. The combined push is also being reinforced by Lebanese resistance fighters and Iranian military advisers.