'Reckless' Putin strikes are boosting jihadists

By Jacqueline Klimas, Jacqueline Klimas

Published December 20, 2015

Russian airstrikes in Syria have opened the door for the Islamic State to expand its foothold in the northwestern corner of the country, a U.S. military spokesman said Tuesday.

Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, called the Russian strikes "reckless" and "indiscriminate."

"We have seen ISIL make progress based on Russian airstrikes," Warren told reporters in a video briefing from Baghdad, using the military's acronym for the terrorist group. "We've seen Russian airstrikes and we've seen ISIL, in this one area anyways, be able to take advantage of those airstrikes."

After previously stating that Russia's goal was to strike Islamic State targets, President Vladimir Putin admitted Tuesday that the Russian strikes are meant to bolster the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to a CNN report.