The response came as Russian’s airstrikes in Syria that began last week raised U.S. concerns that possible clashes could happen in the air, as the US-led coalition continued to combat the IS in Syria.
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In Ingushetia, local leaders have been urging young people to ignore calls to avenge the Russian bombing raids on Syria, which Moscow says has targeted Islamic State, as well as other Islamist groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Weathering a worsening economic downturn and tired of hearing about the travails of Kremlin-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, many Russians appear to be enjoying the show and buying into the Kremlin’s message that its intervention is evidence of the country’s military and diplomatic renaissance. A USA battery was sent back to the United States for “modernisation”, Germany removed its battery partially in protest at Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish groups in Syria, and Spain isn’t anticipated to maintain its missiles in Turkey past the finish of the entire year.
“This was no accident”, he said.
“They have initiated a joint ground offensive with the Syrian regime, shattering the facade that they are there to fight Isil [Isis]”, he added.
“United States military should have been given the mission to retaliate”.
Images of Russia projecting force so far beyond its borders while showcasing its military and technological prowess were, at least for now while everything seemed to be going to plan, giving Russians “a warm and fuzzy feeling”, said Greene.
“As it pertains to the rest of Syria, we don’t have a strategy to defeat ISIS in Syria,” he said.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) noted that the Pentagon has confirmed USA aircraft operating over Syria have been diverted to avoid Russian planes.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee, says the U.S. should consider establishing a no-fly zone that allows rebels a safe place from which to operate, and shooting down Syrian helicopters that are bombing civilians.
Turning to another witness at the hearing, retired U.S. Marine General James Jones, a former National Security Advisor, Cotton asked him if he could recall such an instance. “Can you recall a time when we’ve told American troops to avoid an enemy?” I have not seen such statements.
The administration is under heavy criticism in Congress for what a few say is a flawed approach in Syria, amplified by Russia’s moves to launch ship-based cruise missile strikes and deploy fighter aircraft and battlefield weaponry – actions that caught the U.S.by surprise and underscored the failure of the Pentagon’s program to train and equip rebels.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin in an informal chat with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama after formal talks in New York on 28 September 2015 [PPIO].
