Russian special forces officer killed in Syria: media

A Russian special forces officer has been killed in Syria during a target-designation mission near the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, local media reported Thursday.

The officer "has been killed during a special task to direct strikes of Russian warplanes against IS (Islamic State) targets near Tadmur area (of Homs province)," said a spokesman for the Russian military contingent deployed at Syria's Hmeimim airbase.

"The officer had been on a mission near Palmyra for a week spotting key IS facilities and directing Russian airstrikes," RIA Novosti news agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

The officer died heroically and drew the fire upon himself after he had been spotted and surrounded by terrorists, according to the spokesman.

Russian Defense Ministry said on March 18 that its air forces continued strikes against terrorist groups in Syria, with 20-25 daily sorties conducted in support of Syrian ground forces.

Russia started withdrawing the main part of its air forces deployed in Syria from March 15, after an anti-terror air campaign of over five months in the war-torn country at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia's military withdrawal was welcomed as the Russian- and U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, effective since late February, was largely held in Syria and rounds of intra-Syrian negotiations were carried out in Geneva, Switzerland. Enditem