MOSCOW, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Russia is allowed to deploy its air force in Syria for an open-ended period under the terms of an agreement signed between Moscow and Damascus in August, the RIA news agency said on Thursday, citing the text of the document.

Russian planes flying out of a base in Syria’s Latakia province have been bombing Islamic militants since Sept. 30 as part of a push to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defeat his opponents on the battle field. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Andrew Osborn)