Russian long-range bombers strike Islamic State targets in Syria

MOSCOW/BEIRUT – Russian long-range bombers struck Islamic State on Friday in Albu Kamal in eastern Syria, where the jihadists have staged a counter-attack after the Syrian army declared victory over them.

Six TU-22M3 bombers took off from bases in Russia and overflew Iran and Iraq before launching the strike, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement reported by Russian news agencies.

Albu Kamal, a small town on the border with Iraq, was Islamic State's last Syrian stronghold, along with some neighboring villages and desert areas.

The Syrian army said it and its allies, including the Lebanese Hezbollah group, took it from the militants on Nov. 9 and declared "the fall of the terrorist Daesh organization's project in the region".