Australian aircraft were among a group of worldwide planes taking part in an airstrike near Dayr Az Zawr when Russian officials advised the targets may have been Syrian military personnel, Defence says.
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The US military was first to accept it may have unintentionally struck Syrian troops while carrying out a raid against so-called Islamic State (IS).
“It is quite significant and frankly suspicious that the United States chose to conduct this particular air strike at this time”, he said.
“The UK would not intentionally target Syrian military units”, the spokesman said.
RAF drones were involved in the air strike which killed Syrian government troops and threatened the fragile truce in the wartorn country, it emerged today. “It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage”.
A MoD spokesman said they were “fully co-operating” with the coalition investigation into what happened.
The attack could threaten an already shaky ceasefire deal.
The Pentagon said it was targeting what it thought was an Isis fighting position, but the air strike was halted when Russian Federation informed them that they were instead hitting President Assad’s forces.
Britain’s Press Association news agency reported that an unmanned Reaper drone may have been involved.
“Two Danish F-16s participated along with other nations’ aircraft in these attacks”.
Defense Minister Marise Payne told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday that Australia is taking part in a USA review of the airstrikes against what was believed to be an Islamic State fighting position.
Defence Command Denmark, the command centre for the Danish armed forces, released a short statement on Sunday night confirming that Danish fighter jets were part of the mission.
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The agreement with the U.S. and Russian Federation and came into effect in Syria on September, 12, but has not been fully implemented. Its Department of Defence offered its condolences to the families of government soldiers killed or wounded.
