Russia’s Foreign Ministry is sharply criticizing the United States as being obstructive and deceptive regarding the airstrike by coalition warplanes on a Syrian military position that killed more than 60 soldiers.
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In an address to the summit, Jaafari called the strikes “evidence of support by the United States and its allies for Daesh (IS) and other armed terrorist groups”.
In a statement, the ministry said the apparent strikes were “a direct effect of the American side’s stubborn reluctance to coordinate with Russian Federation their anti-terrorist operations in Syria”.
Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 80 soldiers were killed, but could not specify who carried out the raids.
Sunday’s airstrikes mark the first signs the nationwide ceasefire in Syria between the US and Russian Federation is unraveling, particularly after the USA carried out an “unintentional” strike that hit Syrian government soldiers Saturday.
“Anti-Syrian forces are expending all their energy and capabilities to prolong the terrorist war against Syria”, Assad said.
The troops were surrounded by Islamic State fighters, and the strikes “paved the way for ISIS terrorists to attack” a nearby hilltop, Syria’s military said in a statement reported by the state-run news agency.
A senior adviser to President Bashar al-Assad said the Syrian regime believed the strike that killed the Syrian soldiers was “intentional”.
At least 38 jihadist fighters were killed and clashes were ongoing, Abdel Rahman told AFP. “Moscow is deeply concerned about what happened”, said a foreign ministry statement.
“I am pained and disappointed that a United Nations convoy has yet to cross into Syria from Turkey, and safely reach eastern Aleppo”, the U.N. Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien said in a statement.
It again called on Washington to force Syrian rebels to sign on to the truce, warning that “otherwise, the realisation of Russia-US agreements. could be put in danger”.
The air attack caused a bitter row between the U.S. and Russian Federation at the United Nations Security Council on Saturday night, with each country’s representatives walking out while the other was speaking.
“And we of course regret the loss of life”, Power said at the United Nations headquarters in New York Saturday evening.
Under the deal, the United States and Russian Federation are aiming for reduced violence over seven consecutive days before they move to the next stage of coordinating military strikes against the former Nusra Front and Islamic State, which are not party to the truce.
The truce excludes operations against Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Representatives of the Russian defense ministry could not be reached for comment Sunday about the US officials’ account. “If what Ambassador Power has done today is any indication of their possible reaction then we are in serious trouble”, Churkin told reporters. The US and Russian Federation have said if it holds for seven days, it should be followed by the establishment of a centre for both countries to coordinate the identification of targets against ISIL and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.
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In an interview broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Abu Mohamed al-Jolani said negotiations were under way for anti-regime groups to band together in a single organisation.
