-Russian ceasefire plan for Syria and bordered on connivance with Islamic State.
Advertisement
The stinging attack comes after the United States admitted leading a coalition airstrike which reportedly killed up to 80 Syrian soldiers in the east of the war-torn country. “Now there can be no doubts about that”, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.
Russia’s permanent United Nations representative, Vitaly Churkin, questioned the timing of the strikes, two days before Russian-American coordination in the fight against terror groups in Syria was to begin.
Syria’s army said the US-led strikes, which took place at around 5pm local time (1400 GMT), were “conclusive evidence” of United States support for ISIL, calling them “dangerous and blatant aggression”.
The airstrike hit a base in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour, which is surrounded by Islamic State militants.
A meeting of world leaders risks being overshadowed by the US-led air-strike that killed at least 62 Syrians.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that several people were wounded, but could not immediately give details about casualties or identify who carried out the strikes.
The United States relayed its “regret” through the Russian government for what it described as the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces in the strike, a senior Obama administration official said in an emailed statement.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria, put the toll higher, saying the US -led coalition struck army positions in Tharda mountain and a nearby artillery division, killing 90 troops and wounding 110.
She declined to say whether Australia fighter jets were involved or support aircraft. The Syrian military had previously said it would adhere to the weeklong cease-fire until midnight Sunday.
Moscow cited the strikes, which allowed IS fighters to briefly overrun a Syrian army position near Deir Ezzor airport, as evidence that the U.S. was helping the militants, Reuters said.
Three tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, four mortars and an anti-aircraft gun were destroyed, a Syrian military spokesman said according to Russia’s TASS news agency reported. And it doesn’t merit any meetings in the Security Council on the issue.
The US denounced Russian protests as hypocritical and a stunt.
“If we determine that we did indeed strike Syrian military personnel, that was not our intention. With the various violations of the ceasefire, you’re going to see more friendly type fire going on”, Bishara said. The U.S. military did not say how many bombs or other weapons were used in the strike.
Churkin, who stalked out of the meeting as Power entered, said that he had never, “in all my years in global life, over 40 years, ” seen “such an extraordinary display of American heavy-handedness as we are witnessing today”.
“Russia is using the incident to frame the U.S.as violating the deal despite frequent regime and Russian violations”, said Jennifer Cafarella, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War.
Advertisement
It began on Monday, but aid convoys have been unable to enter rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo – a key part of the deal. The Russian air force has been carrying out strikes across Syria to bolster President Bashar Assad’s forces for almost a year, and the two militaries work in close coordination.
