Russian airstrikes in Syria launched this week killed civilians and did not target the Islamic State, leading several countries to condemn Russia’s actions in a statement on Friday.
Russia began airstrikes in Syria after weeks of sending weapons and troops to the country. Despite publicly saying the strikes would hit Islamic State targets, the Russian strikes bolstered the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, hitting Hama, Homs and Idlib, none of which has an Islamic State presence.
“We express our deep concern with regard to the Russian military build-up in Syria and especially ‎the attacks by the Russian Air Force on Hama, Homs and Idlib which led to civilian casualties and did not target Da’esh,” the statement said, using another name for the Islamic State. “These military actions constitute a further escalation and will only fuel more extremism and radicalization.”
The joint statement from France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States also called on Russia to stop military strikes targeting Syrian opposition forces.
“We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and to focus its efforts on fighting ISIL,” the statement said.
