End of ISIS? 'Demoralised' jihadis fleeing as Putin's bombing blitz cripples terror group

MASS desertions from Islamic State (ISIS) terror cells in Syria have crippled the jihadi group, possibly spelling the end of the barbaric self-styled caliphate, Moscow's Defence Ministry said today.

By TOM BATCHELOR

PUBLISHED: 07:00, Sat, Oct 17, 2015 | UPDATED: 09:58, Sat, Oct 17, 2015

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Many once-committed militants are now fleeing ISIS territory

Life under the cruel extremists is so tough that many once-committed militants are now fleeing ISIS territory for safety elsewhere in the region.

Strict rules and cruel punishments for breaking them have prompted desertions "en-masse" from jihadi training camps.

The aerial bombardment from Russian and US-backed coalition warplanes has also taken its toll.

Senior Russian General Andrey Kartapolov told a briefing: "The majority of armed gangs are demoralised - discontent with field commanders is growing amid the fighters, and there are instances of disobeying orders."

He added that cases of desertion among the jihadists were no longer isolated, with entire groups of extremist militants now abandoning the self-styled caliphate "en-masse".

News that Vladimir Putin has Russia's deadliest weapon yet in the fight against ISIS is only likely to speed up the desertion of fighters.

Express.co.uk reported how the 'Blazing Sun' flamethrower missile launcher was to be mobilised as part of the increasingly savage battle to destroy ISIS terrorists waging war in Syria.

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Russian and US-backed coalition warplane strikes have also taken their toll

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Experts have warned that the jihadi group’s power appears to be waning

For several days, experts have warned that the jihadi group's power appeared to be waning.

On Wednesday, General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, suggested that the group was on the verge of defeat after Russia cut off its arm supplies.

Dozens of sorties and hundreds of air strikes on ISIS and rebel targets in Syria has dealt a severe blow to the once-mighty terror network, which once boasted swaths of territory across Iraq and northern Syria.

Islamist fanatics are increasingly abandoning key positions as Russian jets pound the beleaguered group's arms depots, suicide bomb factories and heavy weaponry.

It comes as Turkey shot down a drone, thought to be Russian, in an incident highlighting the dangers of multiple air combat operations over Syria.

Turkey's military said its jets shot down an unidentified drone in Turkish air space near Syria on Friday.

A US official said Washington believed it was of Russian origin, but the Russian defence ministry said all of its planes in Syria had safely returned to base and that all its drones were operating "as planned".

NATO said Turkey was investigating where the drone came from.

Turkey has already complained of Russian warplanes violating its air apace along the border with Syria earlier this month.

The Russian Defence Ministry said later on Friday it had established direct contact with the Turkish military to avoid incidents with flights near the border.

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An aerial view of bomb explosion after airsrike carried out by Russian Su-24M bomber