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Syriaâ€™s armed opposition rejects coordination with Russia against Islamic State

25 October 2015 02:46 (UTC +04:00)

Al-Arabiya cited the Army’s representative Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Saoud saying "it [Russia] wants to cooperate with us, while it remains committed to Assad."

"They should stop bombing it [the Free Syrian Army]," Samir Nashar, a member of the Syrian National Coalition, said.

Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in the Vesti v Subbotu (News on Saturday) programme Russia is ready to cooperate with patriotic opposition, as well as provide air support to the so-called "Free Syrian Army", although "we are denied the information on the location of terrorists and patriotic oppositionists, according to the Americans."

"The most important thing for us is to find people who would influentially represent any given armed groups who fight, among other things, against terrorism," Lavrov said.

Russia’s aerospace forces launched pinpoint strikes against the Islamic State targets in Syria on September 30 at the request of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. The Russian air group in Syria comprises more than 50 warplanes and helicopters. On October 7, Caspian Flotilla ships delivered strikes by long-range cruise missiles against the IS militants in Syria. Russia has repeatedly said it does not plan to take part in any ground operations in Syria.