War on terror

Putin intends to intensify Syria blitz

Russia bombed Syria for a third day Friday, mainly hitting areas held by rival insurgent groups rather than the ISIS fighters it said it was targeting and drawing an increasingly angry response from the West. The U.S.-led coalition that is waging its own air war against ISIS called on the Russians to halt strikes on targets other than ISIS.

“We call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and to focus its efforts on fighting ISIL,” said the coalition, which includes the U.S., major European powers, Arab states and Turkey.