‘Over 87% of Syrian Territory Liberated from ISIL’

Russia’s military said Syrian armed forces supported by the Russian Air Force have regained control of 87.4 percent of the country.

Russian warplanes had destroyed over 96,000 terrorist targets in the course of the two-year campaign, Russian Ministry of Defense’s official publication, the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper reported late Thursday.

Since September 30, 2015, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of the Russian jets and helicopters to Syria at the request of the Syrian government, they have conducted more than 30,000 sorties, annihilating more than 96,000 targets, according to data cited in the publication.

Among the terrorist positions destroyed in the raids were 8,332 command posts, over 53,700 militants of terrorist groups, and almost a thousand training camps, as well as 6,769 oil and ammunition depots.

Since the launch of a two-year bombing campaign, Russian warplanes have inflicted serious damage to the oil infrastructure seized by ISIL, which is believed to be the main source of income for the terrorists.

A total of 212 oil fields and 184 oil plants and refineries that fell into hands of ISIL were destroyed by the Russian Air Force.