White House urges Russia to focus airstrikes on ISIS amid fears it is carrying out 'indiscriminate' attacks on Syrian rebel forces

  • Russian aircraft carried out a third day of airstrikes against Syrian rebels
  • Moscow says it is targeting ISIS, but US and allies suspect attacks are aimed at keeping in power Assad under the guise of fighting 'terrorism'
  • US has said Russia must 'not be engaged' against anyone but ISIS 
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his French counterpart today 

The White House has urged the Russian military to focus its airstrikes on ISIS terrorists amid fears Russia is carrying out 'indiscriminate' attacks on Syrian rebel forces.

Russian combat aircraft carried out a third day of airstrikes against Syrian militants as Moscow admitted it had targeted groups other than ISIS in coordination with the government in Damascus.

This appears to support the widely held belief that Russia plans to prop up the bloody regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Western allies want him to stand aside to try and end the four-and-half year bloodshed. 

A grab takes from video footage from the Russian Defence Ministry showing a strike carried out by Russian warplanes in the Syrian territories - it said it was targeting ISIS, but evidence has suggested otherwise

A grab takes from video footage from the Russian Defence Ministry showing a strike carried out by Russian warplanes in the Syrian territories - it said it was targeting ISIS, but evidence has suggested otherwise

Russian defence ministry said its planes hit 12 Isis targets, including a command centre and two arms depots

Russian defence ministry said its planes hit 12 Isis targets, including a command centre and two arms depots

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Francois Hollande today in Paris where discussions concerning Russia's attacks in Syria is sure to be high on the agenda

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Francois Hollande today in Paris where discussions concerning Russia's attacks in Syria is sure to be high on the agenda

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would fight other terrorist groups in the region including the al-Nusra Front - an al-Qaeda affiliate.

He said this position was the same as that of the US-led coalition which has been carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria for the past year.

Speaking at the UN in New York, he said: 'We are not supporting anyone against their own people. We fight terrorism'.

Destruction: The aftermath of a Russian airstrike on Talbiseh, in Syria, an area held by non-IS rebels. Dozens of civilians were reported to have been killed, including children

Destruction: The aftermath of a Russian airstrike on Talbiseh, in Syria, an area held by non-IS rebels. Dozens of civilians were reported to have been killed, including children

BUT WHO'S FIGHTING WHO? 

Islamic State

A mainly Sunni Islamist terror group, including tens of thousands of foreign fighters, which has moved into large swathes of Syria.

Syrian government

Bashar al-Assad is believed to have used chemical weapons against his people. His government considers all rebel groups terrorists.

Moderate Syrian rebels

Backed by the West. Known as the Free Syrian Army.

JaBhat al-Nusra

An extremist rebel group affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

Hezbollah

Lebanon’s Shiite group Hezbollah, backed by Iran, fights with the Syrian army.

Islamic Front

An alliance of seven rebel groups who want to create an Islamic state but criticise IS for its brutal tactics.

US, UK and other coalition forces

The coalition forces are fighting to defeat IS and oust Assad. Coalition forces are in Turkey and Jordan training moderate Syrian rebels.

Russia

Vladimir Putin says Russia is attacking IS and supporting Assad. Evidence suggests it is attacking non-IS rebels.

Iran

Iranian troops are to join government forces and Hezbollah in a ground offensive backed by Russian air strikes. Iran wants to defeat IS and prop up Assad.

Mr Lavrov said the targets were selected 'in co-ordination with the Syrian army'.

Alexei Pushkov, the head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia's parliament, claimed today the US had only 'pretended' to bomb ISIS and said Russia's campaign would be much more effective. 

The US has accused Russia of launching 'indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition'.

Secretary of State John Kerry said: 'What is important is Russia has to not be engaged in any activities against anybody but ISIL. That's clear. We have made that very clear'. 

Mr Kerry said he foresaw further discussions with the Russians about air operations.   

'It's a way of making sure that planes aren't going to be shooting at each other and making things worse,' he said in an interview late Thursday on CBS' 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' 

He said 'if they're there to support the Assad regime, Russia will have made a catastrophic mistake.' 

Mr Kerry said such a scenario would risk 'really inviting more jihadists to come into Syria.'

'What is happening is a catastrophe, a human catastrophe really unparalleled in modern times,' Mr Kerry told Colbert. 

He said Russia should help the US and other nations 'persuade Assad to be the saver of his country not the killer of his country.'  

Russian air strikes were reported to have hit Homs, Hama and Idlib provinces.

The commander of a US-trained rebel group said one of its training camps in Idlib province had been targeted by two Russian aircraft. 

It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Paris today, where Syria will be top of the agenda.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Hollande said it was important 'the strikes, regardless of who is carrying them out, target Daesh (ISIS) and not other groups'.