Russian intel "spots 12K oil trucks on Turkey-Iraq border"

Russian intel "spots 12K oil trucks on Turkey-Iraq border"

"At the time of (reconnaissance) filming in the Zakho area there were 11,775 petrol tankers and semi-trucks on both sides of the Turkish-Iranian border. 4,530 of them were on Turkish territory, 7,245 were in Iraq. I must note that oil extracted in Iraq, as well as Syria, comes through this checkpoint."

"The northern and western routes which we previously revealed continue to be used. In order to avoid losses to Russian aviation, the terrorists move mainly at night. Moreover, their tanker trucks are disguised as ordinary trucks, and move in small columns of several dozen vehicles at a time," the general said, adding that Russian planes so far destroyed about 2,000 oil trucks belonging to terrorists.

Speaking about the Russian operation in Syria targeting Islamic State terrorists, Rudskoy said that since September 30, 5,240 sorties, including 145 by long-range aviation, had been performed.

He said that the daily airstrikes target terrorist infrastructure, command points, military equipment, and terrorists themselves.

"The Syrian government forces with Russian aviation assistance have liberated five populated areas in the province of Aleppo," the general said, adding that government forces continue to expand the safety zone around the Kweiris airport and intensify offensives in the south-western direction to Idlib.

"In the suburbs of Damascus, government forces have taken control of the village of Marj al-Sultan, and are continuing their raids, narrowing the encirclement of illegal armed groups in the areas of Nashabiya, Nula, Duma and Zibdin," Rudskoy said.

Sputnik also quoted him as saying that in other areas, "Syrian forces are taking measures to stabilize the situation and are preparing to continue their offensive."

Earlier in the week, Amnesty International published a report accusing Russian forces of attacking civilian targets.

The Russian Defense Ministry responded by saying the report consists of "cliches and fakes, and that the human rights group approached its subject matter in a biased manner, publishing unverified information on the activities of Russian aircraft in Syria,claiming it to be factual," Sputnik reported.