In the space of a few days, Russian airstrikes in Syria and Putin’s diplomatic maneuvering at the U.N. first raised hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough — then brought fears of a new proxy war with the West.
France, firmly opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad, is targeting Islamic State extremists as part of a U.S.-led coalition.
Russia says it’s targeting extremists too, but Western officials say Russia is using the air campaign as a pretext to go after anti-Assad rebels that include CIA-backed groups.
Allies in the U.S.-led coalition have called on Russia to immediately cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and to …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
