Russian military officer killed in Syria

MOSCOW — A Russian military adviser has been killed by mortar fire in Syria, the Russian defence ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said the officer was fatally wounded Monday by mortar shelling from the Daesh terror group. Its statement, carried by Russian news agencies, said the officer was helping train the Syrian military in using Russian weapons. It said the officer will be posthumously awarded with a medal, but didn't identify him or specify where he died.

The officer's death is the third combat casualty the Russian military has suffered since it launched its air campaign in Syria four months ago.

A Russian pilot whose warplane was downed by a Turkish fighter at the Syrian border was shot dead by militants as he descended by parachute on November 24. His crewmate survived and was evacuated to safety, but a Russian marine was killed in action during the rescue mission.

Moscow says its air campaign has targeted Daesh and other extremists and rejects claims by the US and its allies that moderate opposition groups also have been hit by Russian strikes.

Russia's air blitz has helped the Syrian military launch offensives and regain ground in several areas, strengthening the government's hand in peace talks launched in Geneva.

Speaking during a trip to Oman Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the Syrian opposition demand to halt air strikes, saying they will continue until Daesh, Jabhat Al Nusra and other extremist groups are defeated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out Russian troops' involvement in ground action in Syria. However, Russia has sent an unknown number of military advisers to Syria and also deployed ground troops guarding the Russian air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia, the main stronghold of President Bashar Assad's minority Alawite sect.