The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 83 and said at least 120 soldiers were wounded.
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If the strikes were a targeting error, the ministry said the bombings were evidence of Washington’s refusal to consult Russian Federation over its military action in Syria.
There have been fears that the USA military could accidentally strike Syrian or Russian forces since the air campaign against Islamic State began more than two years ago. A statement by U.S. Central Command, which is based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, said planes stopped the attack after a warning from Russian Federation that the strikes could be hitting Syrian troops.
Earlier on Saturday Russia’s Defense Ministry said that four strikes against Syrian positions had been delivered by US-led coalition aircraft – two F-16 jet fighters and two A-10 support aircraft.
The US-led coalition has been carrying out raids against ISIS for two years in both Syria and Iraq.
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said Moscow used the incident to hit home the importance of communication between Russian Federation and the U.S. in military operations in Syria. The United Nations Security Council scheduled a closed emergency meeting for Saturday night at Russia’s request to discuss the airstrike.
Russian Federation called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council and demanded “full and detailed explanations about whether this was deliberate support of the Islamic State or another mistake”.
Syria’s five-year civil war between President Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking to topple him has drawn in regional and global powers and allowed militant jihadist groups including Islamic State to gain territory and inspire attacks.
Russian Federation on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.
The Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a statement by the Syrian army describing the strikes as “a clear evidence that the U.S. and its allies support ISIS terrorists in Syria”.
Moscow has itself accused rebels of breaking the truce and said Washington needs to do more to make them abide by its terms, including separating from the jihadist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which only broke formal allegiance to al Qaeda in July.
Under a fragile truce deal negotiated by the United States and Russian Federation, fighting in Syria is to halt on all fronts across the country except those held by ISIS. The agreement had been brokered by Russian Federation, which supports Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, and the USA, which supports the opposition forces.
“All the permissions the Syrian government was supposed to give have been given for humanitarian supplies to reach people in need in various parts of Syria and that the humanitarian convoy to eastern Aleppo is supposed to leave tomorrow morning”, Churkin said.
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The U.N. has accused Assad’s government of obstructing aid access to the contested city.
