'Relentless' Russian Airstrikes Caught Terrified ISIL Off Guard - Source

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A recent series of airstrikes launched by Russian air forces against the Islamic State in Syria caused the ISIL militants to evacuate their checkpoints in Raqqa and to cancel all public events there.

A source in the Islamic State’s so-called 'capital' told Sputnik on condition of anonymity that Russian airstrikes have caused widespread panic among the Islamist militants who apparently were not expecting such a relentless assault.

"They thought that Russian warplanes would act like their American counterparts – that they would launch some sporadic surgical strikes at dusk and then they would fly away," the source said. "Instead, Russian military aircraft constantly bombard ISIS positions in the vicinity of Raqqa, and these massed strikes have completely paralyzed the Islamist group’s activities. The Russian air operation proved to be extremely effective."

'Russian Tweet Disparages US-led Coalition Efforts to Arm Syrian Rebels'

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Find the right #Syrian rebel to arm - non-trivial task to start your day with | #Syria #سوريا #ISIL #Nusra #داعش pic.twitter.com/Gc60dVAn7D

— Russian Embassy, UAE (@RusEmbassyUAE) October 5, 2015

The Western media seems to be so upset with the success of Russia’s anti-ISIL campaign that it has gone as far as accusing the Russian Foreign Ministry’s overseas envoys of “disparaging the efforts of the US and its allies, who have armed non-extremist anti-government forces in the country.”

This complaint, voiced by the UK newspaper The Independent, came in response to a tweet posted by Russia's Embassy in the United Arab Emirates.

Finland Busts Key Refugee Myth: They Are Mostly Male and Not From Syria

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The vast majority of refugees arriving in Finland are in fact male adults and not women or children, according to the country’s Ministry of the Interior.


The head of Finland's Immigration Services asylum unit, Esko Repo, and communications chief Hanna Kautto told the Finnish news outlet Yle that out of the 19,632 refugees that have arrived in Finland this year, over 15 thousand are adult males. The number of female migrants totals 2,816 and there are also about 2,000 children travelling with adults as well as roughly one thousand unaccompanied minors.
Furthermore, only 409 of the refugees came from Syria, with the majority of the migrants – nearly 14 thousand people – arriving from Iraq.

Russian Warplanes Destroy ISIL HQ Near Palmyra, Up To 40 Militants Killed

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A Russian military spokesman dismissed earlier reports that Russian warplanes had bombed the ancient city of Palmyra, as was claimed by several international media outlets.

Russian warplanes destroyed an ISIL command center on the outskirts of Syria's Palmyra, killing up to 40 militants, a Syrian military source told Sputnik on Tuesday.  The command center was located near the town of As Sukhnah 28 km away from Palmyra.