Russia conducted strikes in Syria this week after all: US military

Russia did carry out air strikes in Syria this week, a US military spokesman said on Friday, hours after asserting the opposite.

"While we've seen no Russian air strikes in the northern areas of Syria this week, it appears the Russians have conducted some air strikes after all in southern Syria in the vicinity of Palmyra in support of the Syrian regime," US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder told AFP.

Earlier, in a telephone briefing with reporters, Ryder had said that most if not all Russian warplanes have been withdrawn from Syria, adding that Russia has staged no air strikes during the past week.

That US military assessment contradicted assertions by the Russian military that its jets were flying as many as 25 sorties a day in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State (IS) group fighters.

Ryder said during the call earlier that some bombardments had taken place in the Palmyra region but that they were believed to have been fired by Russian artillery.

The spokesman told AFP that what he briefed earlier in the day was the latest he had available at the time, adding that he received some updated information late in the afternoon. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, where they have been backing Moscow's close ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The first Russian aircraft returned Tuesday to a hero's welcome.

"We assessed that the majority if not all of their strike aircraft have left," Ryder told reporters earlier.

The US military, which was taken by surprise by the development, has remained sceptical of Putin's intentions.

On Thursday, a Baghdad-based US military spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, said there had been little change in Russian troop deployments on the ground.

There has been little movement of Russian ground forces, Ryder said earlier, adding that Moscow has kept combat helicopters and some transport planes in Syria.

Russia intervened militarily in the Syrian civil war on 30 September at Assad's request, deploying about 50 combat aircraft.

It also sent more than 4,000 ground troops, artillery, tanks and about 30 combat helicopters.

The Russians have directed their operations mainly against Western-backed anti-government rebels while a US-led coalition has been waging an air campaign against the IS group.