An Iranian general advising Syrian forces was killed in the city of Aleppo yesterday, as Russian air raids killed two Islamic State (Isis) leaders. Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, was killed by Isis on the outskirts of the city. "Gen Hamedani was martyred by Daesh terrorists during an advisory mission on the outskirts of Aleppo," said the official news agency, using the Arabic acronym for Isis. The general was a veteran of the 1980-1989 Iran-Iraq war. Meanwhile, some sources reported that Isis had captured villages near Aleppo from rival terrorist alliance the Army of Conquest, which includes al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate the Nusra Front. "Why didn't America attack Daesh fighters during their attack?" asked Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdurrahman. Russia's Defence Ministry reported that its aircraft based in Latakia province had flown 67 sorties in the previous 24 hours, hitting 60 targets and killing some 300 terrorists. Two Isis leaders were reported to be among the dead. "Among the targets are the communication hubs, command posts, fuel stores and terrorist training bases located in Raqqa, Latakia, Idlip, Aleppo and Hama," said Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Igor Makushev. In London, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter admitted that his government's plan to train 20,000 "moderate rebels" to fight the Syrian government was to be abandoned in favour of arming existing groups. The $500 million (£359m) programme was a disaster that only put four or five men in the field.
