In Syria, a Major General of the Russian Armed Forces was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device detonation, and two more soldiers were injured. This was reported by the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry
According to the ministry, the incident occurred during the return of a convoy of Russian military after a humanitarian action 15 km from the city of Deir ez-Zor. An IED went off on the side of the road.
“As a result of the explosion, three Russian servicemen were injured. During the evacuation and the provision of medical assistance, a Russian senior military adviser with the rank of major general died from the received serious wounds, "RIA Novosti quotes a message from the Ministry of Defense.
The department noted that they will provide the family of the deceased with all the necessary assistance and support. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented the deceased officer for a state award posthumously. Details of his identity have not been reported.
This is the first death of a senior Russian officer in Syria since 2017. Then Lieutenant General of the RF Armed Forces Valery Asapov was killed in the SAR. He came under mortar fire from Islamic State * terrorists.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the senior group of Russian military advisers, Lieutenant General Asapov, was at the command post of the Syrian troops, assisting the Syrian commanders in managing the operation to liberate Deir ez-Zor.
Asapov was posthumously awarded the title "Hero of the Russian Federation".
The situation in Syria
The Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties (CPVS) in Syria reported yesterday that militants of the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra ** fired on settlements in the Syrian province of Aleppo.
According to the CPVS, three shelling of the settlements of Miznaz, Urum-es-Sugra, Urum al-Kubra in the Aleppo province was recorded. At the same time, the center reported that units of the Russian military police continued to patrol along several routes in the provinces of Raqqa, Haseke and Deir ez-Zor.
A week before these events, the CPVS reported seven shelling of settlements in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and Latakia during the day. A few days earlier, militants had attempted to attack the Russian base of Khmeimim using unmanned aerial vehicles and extended-range multiple launch rocket systems.
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In early August, militants of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group also tried to break through the positions of the Syrian army in the Idlib de-escalation zone. During these events, there were losses from the Syrian military.
At the same time, it was reported that all the attacks of the militants were repelled, they suffered "significant damage in manpower and equipment."
Note that in July 2020, while patrolling in Syria, three Russian soldiers were slightly injured as a result of the detonation of an improvised explosive device. According to the CPVS, none of the military died. The CPVS reported that the militants detonated a land mine along the route of a convoy of Russian and Turkish soldiers who jointly patrolled the M4 highway in Idlib province.
As a result of the explosion, an armored personnel carrier of the Russian military police and a Turkish armored car were damaged. Three Russian servicemen and members of the crew of the Turkish vehicle were injured, all of them were promptly evacuated.
Another similar incident occurred in June. A bomb exploded on the route of a Russian-Turkish patrol in Syrian Idlib. The armored personnel carrier of the RF Armed Forces received minor damage.
As the Russian Ministry of Defense explained at the time, the militants attempted a terrorist act in order to disrupt the monitoring of the situation along the Syrian M4 highway.
Recall that in 2011, an internal political crisis began in Syria, which grew into an armed confrontation between government forces and opponents of the current government.
In the current situation, terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State, have become more active. Since 2015, at the request of the official Syrian authorities, Russia has been providing military and other assistance to Syria in the fight against terrorism and in the reconstruction of the country. During this time, the SAR government managed to regain control over more than 90% of the state's territory.
* "Islamic State" (IS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.
** “Jabhat al-Nusra” (“Hayat Tahrir ash-Sham”, “Jabhat Fath al-Sham”, “Front al-Nusra”) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.