Kurdish fighters capture military air base in northern Syria

BEIRUT — Kurdish fighters and their allies captured a military air base in northern Syria under the cover of air strikes as Russia announced on Thursday that its air force carried out more than 500 combat missions in Syria over the past week.

Syria’s Kurds have been among the most effective forces battling the Islamic State group, but have remained largely neutral in the conflict between President Bashar Assad and the rebels fighting to overthrow him.

[...] on Wednesday, the main Kurdish People’s Protection Units opened an attack along with some Arab allies against the Mannagh military air base and captured it later in the day, according to a rebel commander and an opposition activist group.

In Moscow, Ministry of Defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that since Feb. 4, Russian warplanes carried out 510 combat missions and destroyed 888 “terrorist facilities” in several Syrian provinces including Aleppo, Daraa and Latakia where the government offensive is concentrated.