US -led coalition air strikes reportedly killed dozens of Syrian-government soldiers on Saturday, endangering a U.S.
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In February, a ceasefire, brokered by the United States and Russian Federation, went into effect in Syria, but did not hold for long. The Syrian Foreign Ministry called the strikes a “dangerous and blatant aggression”.
The ministry’s statement, sent to the presidents of the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council, said American warplanes repeatedly attacked Syrian army positions on Saturday afternoon.
The Syrian army said the raid had allowed Islamic State group fighters to gain ground around the key eastern airbase of Deir Ezzor, but a military source said government forces were back on the offensive on Sunday.
“The coalition pilots’ actions – if they, as we hope, were not ordered by Washington – were on the edge between gross negligence and direct assistance to Islamic State terrorists”, the ministry’s statement said.
The ceasefire’s co-sponsors, Russian Federation and the United States, have traded accusations over the fraying deal, with relations strained even further after the US-led raid killed scores of Syrian soldiers on Saturday.
The U.S. military has admitted that it may have unintentionally struck Syrian troops while carrying out a raid against IS on Saturday.
The warplane was engaged in striking IS positions in the al-Tharda mountain when it was shot down, the Syrian national TV said.
The truce saw violence drop across Syria for several days after it came into force on Monday, but fighting has since erupted on several fronts and besieged civilians are still waiting desperately for promised aid deliveries.
Tens of thousands of people live in government-held neighborhoods of Deir el-Zour under an IS siege.
Russian Federation said the United States was being obstructive and deceptive regarding the airstrike. IS also controls much of the surrounding province, which borders Iraq. Churkin said Russian Federation had no “specific evidence” of the United States colluding with Islamic State militants.
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Australia said Sunday that its planes were among the coalition aircraft over Deir al-Zour.
