Australia shares the grave concerns of the US that Russian aircraft have been targeting Assad regime opponents and not Islamic State, killing dozens of civilians in the course.
Defence Minister Marise Payne said US Secretary of State John Kerry had declared it would be a matter of grave concern if those air strikes were not directed at IS.
’We would share those concerns, particularly if this was not a strike targeted at ISIL,’ she told reporters in Sydney.
Reports from Syria indicate the Russian strikes were directed at anti-regime forces and caused civilian casualties.
So far aircraft from nine coalition nations, including Australia, have bombed IS targets inside Syria in carefully coordinated missions.
Australia’s Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft have also been used.