Russia approves military forces in Syria to fight ISIL

The Russian parliament has voted to back President Vladmir Putin’s proposal to send military assistance into Syria.

Russia’s Federation Council, or upper house, voted unanimously on the move, which paves the way for a possible airstrike by Russia in Syria against the so-called Islamic State (ISIL).

The authorisation follows a request by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to one of Putin’s top aides.

Russia’s military involvement will be limited to an air campaign targeting ISIL, said Sergei Ivanov, the Kremlin chief of staff. Russia has built up forces on the ground in Syria including deploying aircraft.

“As our president already said, the use of military forces in ground combat has been ruled out,” Ivanov said. “The military goal of these operations is exclusively limited to air support for the Syrian government forces in their campaign against ISIL.”