On October 6, 2015, Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matviyenko declared that Russia would launch airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, if the Iraqi government gave Russia the green light to intervene. As the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and Iraqi Shiite leaders have both called for Russian participation in Iraq’s anti-ISIS struggle, Matviyenko’s statement is a major step towards launching a two-front war against the terrorist organization. Even though delving into a seemingly interminable conflict is a risky endeavor, Russia would benefit greatly from expanding what it refers to as its anti-ISIS efforts to Iraq. Russia will …read more
Source: The Huffington Post
