Hurriyet Daily News quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof on the reason why Russia is targeting certain groups with airstrikes in Syria:
The main reason why Russia is targeting these groups is to strengthen Bashar al-Assad. According to Fred Hof, a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council who was special advisor for Syria under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “Russia also wants ISIL and al-Assad to be the only two forces left standing in Syria so it can force President Obama to have a working relationship with al-Assad against ISIL.”