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“During the last day, [a] Russian Air Force task force in Syria [targeted] Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] reinforcements of foreign fighters coming from Iraq to the vicinity of the town of Abu-Kamal near [the] Iraq-Syria border,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

As all terrorist targets, including command outposts, manpower and armored vehicles, were identified and confirmed within a week, a series of airstrikes followed, it added.

“An airstrike near Abu Kamal destroyed Islamists’ outpost, killing some 40 militants from Tajikistan and Iraq, as well as 7 SUVs with DShK and ZU-23-2 machine guns mounted on them,” the statement said.

A separate strike near the city of Mayadin killed up to 80 terrorists, among them nine fighters from the northern Caucasus, and destroyed a command center, 18 SUVs, and three ammunition depots.

Also, Russian jets bombed “a group of 60 foreign fighters, nationals of [former Soviet republics], Tunisia and Egypt,” the statement said, adding that 12 SUVs carrying heavy weapons were destroyed in the airstrike.

The defense ministry also confirmed that a previous strike near Abu Kamal killed influential Islamic State field commanders, said to be “natives of Northern Caucasus.”