Baghdad says Russia has been permitted to conditionally use Iraq's airspace for anti-ISIL airstrikes in Syria. Iraq's president Haider al-Abadi has said that Russian planes will be allowed to use border corridors for their strikes and will not be flying over Iraqi cities. The president made the statement at a news briefing on Tuesday.

He added that Iraq has not received an official request from Russia concerning the passage of any types of rockets across Iraq's skies. Abadi's remarks came after the Russian Defense Ministry said its warplanes had taken off from an Iranian airbase to raid ISIL militants in Syria. A US military spokesman in Baghdad said the US has been notified and will ensure the safety of Russian warplanes.