Russian aircraft kill at least 12 IS fighters in eastern Syria - monitor

Russian air strikes in Syria's eastern province of al-Raqqa have killed at least 12 insurgents from the so-called Islamic State militant group, according to a monitor.

"Last night, Russian strikes on the western edges of Raqqa city, and near the Tabqa military airport, killed 12 IS jihadists," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Friday.

Russian war planes carried out at least nine air raids in al-Raqqa - the Sunni extremist militia's bastion - and the militants' bodies had been transported to hospitals in the province, Rahman said.

In a statement on Friday, Russia's defence ministry said it had executed air strikes on IS in al-Raqqa and destroyed infrastructure "used to train terrorists."

"On Oct 1, Su-34 planes carried out strikes on an IS training camp... and on a camouflaged command post... southwest of the town of Raqqa," the ministry said.

"As a result of the strikes, the IS command point was put out of action. The infrastructure used to train terrorists was completely destroyed."

Meanwhile, Turkish premier Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday disputed Russia's claim that its recent campaign of air strikes in Syria was aimed at IS, claiming instead the strikes were targeting moderate rebels to prop up authoritarian president Bashar al-Assad's rule.

The outcome is very worrisome," Davutoglu told Turkish reporters on his plane as he returned from the UN General Assembly in New York, quoted by several Turkish dailies including Hurriyet and Milliyet.

The US-led coalition against Islamic State has called on Russia to cease air strikes they say are hitting the Syrian opposition and civilians.

In a joint statement on Friday, the US, UK, Turkey and other coalition members said Russian strikes would "only fuel more extremism".

Activists claim dozens of civilians have been killed and injured in the air raids begun by Russia on Wednesday in several Syrian provinces.

The strikes in Syria are Russia's first military engagement outside the borders of the former Soviet Union since the end of the Cold War.