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Russia struck Syrian Turkmen-dominated areas before plane downing - U.S. officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia had started targeting areas of Syria dominated by ethnic Turkmens in the days before Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday after what appears to have been a brief Russian incursion into Turkish airspace, U.S. officials told Reuters. The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Russian strikes in the area were aimed at opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and not militants from Islamic State. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Susan Heavey)