The U.S. -led coalition’s actions have been criticized by Russian Federation, escalating tensions between Moscow and Washington and endangering a U.S.
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Syrian troops counterattacked against the ISIL extremist group around a key eastern airbase on Sunday after the coalition air strike killed dozens of soldiers forcing a retreat, military sources said. Moscow, however, said it suspected foul play aimed at disrupting the next stage of the ceasefire agreement which would see the United States and Russian Federation establishing closer operational coordination in Syria.
Russia said it was “deeply concerned”, warning that Washington would have to rein in rebels fighting Assad “otherwise, the realisation of Russia-US agreements. could be put in danger”.
Having briefly expressed regret over the incident, USA ambassador to the council Samantha Power insisted that even if an ongoing investigation proves the U.S. was at fault in the attacks, it was never its “intention” to target Syrian government forces. More than 2,000 people were killed in 40 days of fighting in the city, including 700 civilians, among them 160 children, according to a Syrian activist group.
Russia’s Defence Ministry says the error is evidence of the US’s “stubborn refusal” to co-ordinate its actions against ISIS with Russia’s government.
Russian Federation has laid the blame squarely at the U.S., claiming that they did not share enough information to ensure this tragedy didn’t happen.
ISIS militants launched an attack on the Syrian position after the airstrikes, Sputnik reported, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
U.S. ambassador Samantha Power said Moscow’s request for the meeting was a “stunt”, while her Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin accused the USA of violating agreements that it would not target army positions.
“The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (U.S.) State Department – will not hold out”, a senior rebel official in Aleppo said, pointing to the continued presence of a United Nations aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to enter.
Assad’s government views all those fighting against it as “terrorists”, and has long accused the US and other rebel supporters of backing extremists.
Kerry said Assad was a “spoiler” in the cease-fire, and called on Moscow to “stop the grandstanding, stop the showboating, and get the humanitarian assistance going”.
“This might put in danger this Joint Implementation Center that the USA and the Russians are supposed to set up in the next few days to coordinate just these kinds of strikes against ISIS and to prevent just what happened”, he said Saturday. USA -led and Damascus-led operations against the militants have continued throughout the ceasefire on various fronts.
The week-old cease-fire in Syria could be in jeopardy after the US military acknowledged it may have mistakenly struck and killed Syrian government forces.
Scores of innocent people were killed in the bombardments at a time all the sides were expecting signs of good intentions as a prelude for the much needed end of hostilities that ravaged Aleppo, Idlib and scores of other Syrian cities and towns.
It says its coalition planes halted strikes when informed of the Syrian presence.
Australia is participating in a U.S-led review of the incident, while Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has calling for an Australian review into the botched airstrike.
“We regret the loss of life and injury to any Syrian personnel affected”. He saidAustralian rules of engagement were to target the Islamic State movement.
Russia blamed the United States for failing to coordinate with them on Saturday’s airstrikes, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman told Sputnik. So when US airpower in Syria targeted government forces engaged in combat with Islamic State militants, the Russians, who are not inclined to view the strike as an unfortunate accident hours after stories about how the Department of Defense has misgivings about working with the Russians in Syria, are prepared to assume the worst.
Ja’afari’s comments come on the back of Moscow saying the strikes threatened the implementation of the ceasefire plan for Syria and bordered on connivance with Islamic State.
Moscow called an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday night to discuss the attack on Syrian military positions in eastern Deir Ezzour province.
The Americans “not only turned out to be unable to give an adequate explanation of what happened, but also tried, as is their custom, to turn everything upside down”, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Iran also condemned the USA military action.
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Islamic State said via its Amaq news channel it had taken complete control of Jebel Tharda, where the bombed position was located, which would have allowed it to overlook government-held areas of Deir al-Zor.
