The Americans had taken the necessary steps to begin preparing the proposed joint command center with the Russians, Air Force Col. John Thomas, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said Tuesday.
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The France-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations said the five were part of an emergency medical unit in Khan Touman near Aleppo. Both say they’re committed to fighting the Islamic State group and al-Qaida-linked militants.
Earlier, Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations chief, launched a stinging attack on Syria’s government, saying it has killed the most civilians in the five-year civil war and continues “to barrel bomb neighbourhoods and systematically torture thousands of detainees”.
Russian military spokesman Gen Igor Konashenkov did not directly accuse the United States of firing but pointedly said that such a drone could carry out high-precision strikes against targets on the ground.
Tensions between the United States and Russian Federation escalated over a September 17 attack by the US -led coalition against DAESH that killed dozens of Syrian soldiers in the eastern Deir al-Zor province.
“Somebody is trying to tell us humanitarian workers are not welcome in Syria, that we are a target, that we will be killed”, he said.
The UN has since halted all humanitarian convoys in the war torn country.
Addressing the UN Security Council, including his Russian opposite number Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kerry said efforts to find peace could yet be salvaged but only if Moscow takes responsibility for recent air strikes. The war of words has intensified as the USA officials stated Moscow’s warplanes were responsible for the destruction of the 18 trucks.
“In order to bolster the military capabilities of the group, we plan to add the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to the group”. Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.
General Igor Konashenkov said: “We are not jumping to unfounded conclusions”.
In New York on Tuesday, Russian and United States. diplomats insisted that the Syrian ceasefire, which went into effect nine days ago, was not dead, despite indications of soaring violence.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterpart Sergey Lavrov exchanged blame in a public session on Syria at the U.N. Security Council. The scale of the atrocities committed by the Syrian government, he said, meant “we can’t just do business as usual”.
The UN estimates that some six million Syrians live in besieged and hard-to-reach areas.
Heavy fighting gripped the outskirts of Syria’s second city Aleppo on Thursday after air strikes pounded rebel-held districts through the night triggering major fires.
A senior Russian diplomat says Moscow views a cease-fire in Syria as the best option possible.
Ibrahim Alhaj, a member of the volunteer first responders known as the Syria Civil Defence, said 24 people were killed in the Aleppo strikes.
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The Russian military, which is investigating the incident, said that footage from activists at the scene showed damage to the vehicles that did not appear to come from an air strike or “any sort of munitions”.
