Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday praised the more than two-week-old air campaign in Syria, saying that Russia’s strikes had "destroyed dozens of command posts of ISIL.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday praised the more than two-week-old air campaign in Syria, saying that Russia's strikes had "destroyed dozens of command posts, munitions depots, hundreds of terrorists and a large amount of military hardware".

Russia, he insisted, was only targeting terrorists in Syria and there was a time limit on the air campaign linked to a ground offensive by the Syrian army.

He added that "according to various estimates" there were between 5,000 to 7,000 people from Russia and the former Soviet countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) fighting with the Takfiri group, ISIL (so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant).

Meanwhile, he noted that Russia was in a "negotiation process" with regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and "was making attempts to build cooperation with the United States and Turkey".

Spillover from Afghan Fighting
On the other hand, he warned that violence in Afghanistan could spill over into ex-Soviet Central Asia, a day after the US announced it would keep thousands of troops in the conflict-wracked country.

"The situation there (in Afghanistan) is genuinely close to critical," Putin said at a meeting of leaders from the ex-Soviet region in Kazakhstan.

"Terrorists of different stripes are gaining more influence and do not hide their plans for further expansion," Putin told the summit of the CIS.

"One of their aims is to break into the Central Asian region. It is important for us to be ready to react in concert to this scenario," Putin said in a speech posted on the Kremlin's website.
US President Barack Obama on Thursday said American troops would remain in Afghanistan past 2016, retreating from a major campaign pledge as he said that Afghan forces were not ready to stand alone against the resurgent Taliban.