US: Russian air strikes worsening Syrian war

Syrians are seen inside a cage in Douma, the largest opposition stronghold near Damascus as it has been reported that major rebel group Jaish Al Islam is using dozens of government soldiers and Alawite civilians in metal cages as 'human shields'.

The United States said on Wednesday that Russia's air war in Syria had "dangerously exacerbated" the conflict, accusing Moscow of seeking to bolster President Bashar Al Assad's government instead of targeting militants.
Washington's latest broadside against Russian intervention in Syria came as government troops, emboldened by Moscow's support over the past month, recaptured from the Daesh group a key road into second city Aleppo.
Speaking to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson said the offensives, backed by Russian air strikes, had displaced at least 120,000 people.
"Russia's military intervention has dangerously exacerbated an already complex environment," she said. "Moscow has cynically tried to claim that its strikes are focused on terrorists, but so far, 85 to 90 per cent of Syrian strikes have hit the moderate Syrian opposition and they have killed civilians in the process," Patterson alleged.
Civilians have died in Russian strikes on civil defence crews, hospitals, centers for displaced persons and ambulances, she claimed.
"We know that Russia's primary intent is to preserve the regime," she claimed.
Syrian government forces launched major offensives in several parts of the country after Russia began its intervention on September 30, with more than 1,300 air strikes carried out so far.
"Despite our urging, Moscow has yet to stop the Assad government's horrific practice of barrel bombing the Syrian people," Patterson said.
She said the situation called for a "full court press to end the war and get to a political settlement".
"The Russian deployments cannot be used to stiffen the Assad government's resistance to a political transition." In recent weeks, diplomatic efforts have been stepped up to resolve the conflict, which has left more than 250,000 dead and forced millions from their homes since March 2011.
Nineteen key international players met for talks in Vienna on Friday, including the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia, in the broadest push yet to end the conflict.
The meeting, which did not include any representatives of the Syrian government or its opponents, agreed to ask the United Nations to broker a peace deal between the government and opposition to clear the way for a new constitution and UN-supervised elections.
Another round of international talks could be held in Vienna within two weeks, according to Patterson.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone on Wednesday to discuss the "logistics" of those talks, according to state department spokesman John Kirby.
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura met Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday as part of the peace push.
Speaking after their talks, de Mistura said the United Nations was ready to bring together representatives of both sides - the government and the opposition - for talks in Geneva.
"We are ready, the UN is ready, to start immediately with this process in Geneva," de Mistura said."When? As soon as possible." - AFP

• MENA