This is the first and probably last time I will thank President Jimmy Carter

From Sputnik, datelined today and timestamped 23:10 (Russia time):

...  Earlier in October, reports emerged, claiming that former US President Jimmy Carter had given the Russian Embassy in Washington maps with ISIL terrorist locations in Syria after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed the information.

"Jimmy Carter actually turned to the Russian side with the offer of sending us maps created by his Presidential Center with the current locations of opposing sides in Syria, including the positions of the government troops, ISIL, and other groups," Zakharova told journalists.

The maps are not considered classified since most of them could be found on the Carter Center foundation's website, according to the diplomat. 

On Friday [today], Peskov stated that Putin had familiarized himself with the obtained documents. ...

The Carter Foundation scrambled to explain itself yesterday, maybe after it dawned that the Kremlin was going to use their nice gesture as anti-White House propaganda:

Carter Center Statement on Syria Conflict Maps

ATLANTA — The Carter Center closely follows events in Syria and regularly publishes reports about conflict developments on its website. These reports are publicly available and are forwarded to all interested parties, including Syrians across political divides and governments in the west and in the region. A recent report details Russia's ongoing airstrikes in Syria, underscoring that the vast majority of the airstrikes do not target ISIS, as the Russian government asserts.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter brought the Carter Center's published reports and maps on the Syrian conflict to Russian President Vladimir Putin's attention on Oct. 15, and his office shared a copy of the same publicly available online report and maps with the Russian Embassy in Washington on Oct. 19.

As to the Carter Foundation's dig at Russian targeting decisions, the Sputnik report adds:

 SEARCH FOR ‘MODERATE’ OPPOSITION

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Syrian leader Bashar Assad agreed with possible Moscow’s support of Syrian opposition factions in case they were ready to fight terrorists.

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed that Russia was eager to establish and maintain contacts with any Syrian opposition group interested in the struggle against terrorism and radicalism.

Neither the United States nor European countries have been able to help Moscow identify "moderate" opposition groups in Syria for possible cooperation in the fight against the ISIL group, he added.

Yes, searching continues for the unicorn.

The same Sputnik report mentions the Syrian Army is busy raising hell:

SYRIAN ARMY SUCCESS

More than 300 terrorists were killed in the western province of Latakia, Syrian Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Ali Maihub told reporters Friday.

"In the province of Latakia more than 300 terrorists and vehicles armed with mortars were destroyed near the cities of Salma and Sad Badradun," he specified.

The Syrian Army killed 45 ISIL terrorists travelling in a motorcade in the Hama Governorate, Maihub added.

Moreover, according to him, control over a number of villages in the provinces of Homs and Aleppo has been reinstated.

Syrian Army burnin' leather. You go, guys!

    

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