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Russia might use Iran's Hamadan airbase again: defense official

Xinhua, August 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Russia might use Iran's Hamadan airbase again to carry out attacks on terror targets in Syria, a senior defense official said Wednesday.

Moscow and Tehran would conduct mutually beneficial cooperation and reach agreements on some specific issues soon, including the use of the Hamadan airbase by the Russian military to strike extremist groups in Syria, Vladimir Komoedov, chairman of the Defense Committee in the State Duma, said in an interview with Izvestiya newspaper.

An agreement between the two countries over the issue is "only a matter of time," he said.

Tehran has shown through concrete actions in recent months that its partnership with Moscow is strong, he added.

Beginning on Aug. 16, Russian bombers took off from the Hamadan base in western Iran for three consecutive days to strike terrorist targets in Syria.

It was the first time Russia has used the territory of another nation, apart from Syria itself, to launch such strikes since Moscow started a bombing campaign against IS targets inside Syria last September.

Earlier this week, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian military had accomplished its targets regarding airstrikes against the IS forces in Syria and all the Russian warplanes that had participated in the mission have been withdrawn.

Further use of the Hamadan airbase would be based on mutual agreements on fighting terrorism and the evolving situation in Syria, the spokesman said. Endi