DUSHANBE, October 1, 2015, Asia-Plus – The Guardian reports Washington has accused Moscow of throwing “gasoline on the fire” of the Syrian civil war, rejecting Russia’s claims that its first airstrikes in the war-torn country had targeted Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists.

Russia launched its first round of air strikes in Syria, hitting eight sites that it claimed were ISIL targets only hours after President Vladimir Putin’s request to use military force was unanimously approved by parliament on September 30.

The Pentagon disputed Russia’s claim that it targeted only jihadi groups, with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter saying that evidence suggested strikes “were in areas where there probably were not ISIL forces.”  Carter said the Kremlin’s current strategy is “doomed to failure” and American air strikes will continue “unimpeded.”

Syrian activists, civilians and rebels reportedly asserted that Russian strikes had targeted moderate forces who were opposed to the regime of president Bashar al-Assad.  The president of an opposition group said that at least 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed in strikes in Homs.