Turkey PM says Russian air raids bolstering Syrian regime

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday accused Russia of targeting moderate Syrian rebels in its air raids in Syria to prop up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Speaking to Turkish reporters on his plane as he returned from the UN General Assembly in New York, Davutoglu rejected Moscow's insistence that its campaign of air raids launched this week was aimed at Islamic state group [IS] militants.

"The outcome is very worrisome," Davutoglu was quoted as saying in several local media outlets.

"The operation has been entirely against positions of the Free Syrian Army [FSA]," said Davutoglu, referring to the main moderate armed group fighting Assad and which Turkey supports.

"This is clearly supporting the Syrian regime which is on the verge of collapse," he added. "I don't think it will be of benefit to destroy the moderate opposition," Davutoglu added.

Russia and Turkey have been at odds over the Syrian conflict since the unrest erupted in 2011, with Ankara calling for the ousting of Assad but Moscow one of his most important supporters.

	Russia launched airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday [Getty]

Turkey was initially wary of taking tough action against IS militants who have captured swathes of Syria.

But Ankara is now seen as a full member of the US-led coalition against the Islamic militants and has carried out its own air raids on their positions inside Syria.

Davutoglu complained that the positions hit by Russia in its Syria air campaign would "benefit IS".

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Syria cannot be forced to choose between Assad and "terrorist groups" like IS.