I don't know how there's no mention of this on the forum already.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/7117...eir-al-Zor
Meanwhile US soldiers are being attacked and chased out of cities by their "moderate" Free Syrian Army "allies", who they've been arming the entire time.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/...rian-rebe/
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/7117...eir-al-Zor
Quote:Quote:
The Russian government has claimed the attack allowed ISIS to overrun a Syrian military outpost in north-eastern Syria and said there can now be "no doubts" that the US is backing the jihadis.
The US military said they believed coalition jets were targeting Islamic State positions in north-eastern Syria.
But this was refuted by the Russian government, who claimed the attack on Syrian military personnel and vehicles near Deir al-Zor airport played right into ISIS' hands.
While the Russian defence ministry said the attack killed 60 troops, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 80 soldiers died.
The Russian foreign ministry blasted the US for “defending Islamic State”.
A spokeswoman said: “We are reaching a really terrifying conclusion for the whole world: That the White House is defending Islamic State.
“Now there can be no doubts about that.”
A US military official said he was "pretty sure" targets mistakenly hit in the bombings were Syrian forces.
But a spokesman added that “coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit” and the strikes had been carried out after days of tracking potential targets.
British, French, Russian and US forces launch air strikes around the world.
The Syrian army also lashed out at the US, claiming the alleged bombing was “conclusive proof” of coalition support of ISIS.
The evil jihadist group’s propaganda agency Amaq claimed they had overrun the Syrian army position after the strike.
But Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s men later said they had re-taken the outpost.
It is hoped the ceasefire could help put a stop to more than five years of conflict in Syria
Now Moscow is calling for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to save a ceasefire in the country at breaking point.
The ceasefire – between Syrian regime forces and US-backed Syrian rebels and supported by the Kremlin and Washington – took effect on Monday and there has been a marked reduction in violence across Syria.
It raised hopes of a lasting peace settlement after more than five years of war.
But the relative quiet has been marred by outbreaks of violence, with Russia accusing the US of backing rebel groups that had increased the shelling of civilian areas.
Meanwhile US soldiers are being attacked and chased out of cities by their "moderate" Free Syrian Army "allies", who they've been arming the entire time.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/...rian-rebe/
Quote:Quote:
Video footage appears to show US commandos fleeing a Syrian town under a barrage of abuse and insults hurled at them by fighters from the American-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group.
The video appears to be the first evidence of US special forces cooperating with Turkish troops in their battle against Islamic State (Isil).
The incident illustrates the complex web of alliances and enmities in Syria, where many of America’s allies are fighting each other and some rebel groups that receive US support still harbour strong anti-American sentiments.
The footage shows a crowd of rebel fighters in the town of al-Rai near the Turkish border, which was captured from Isil by Syrian rebel groups with the backing of Turkey. Turkey, which launched a military incursion into Syria in late August, has been backing the FSA.
The fighters scream anti-American chants as a column of pick-up trucks carrying US commandos drives away from them.
“Christians and Americans have no place among us,” shouts one man in the video. “They want to wage a crusader war to occupy Syria.”
Another man calls out: “The collaborators of America are dogs and pigs. They wage a crusader war against Syria and Islam. ”
The US troops are not wearing traditional uniform but they carry American weapons and are wearing the distinctive round helmets favoured by US special forces.
Another video shows the US troops looking nonchalant and waving at the camera even as some of the rebels tell them to leave.
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said the confrontation was sparked when FSA rebels accused the Americans of supporting the Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units (YPG).
“Heated tempers and YPG relations aside, this was a big mistake by FSA. But it does go to show the diplomacy now required to make it work,” he said.
Turkey is vehemently opposed to the YPG and its FSA proxies have fought with Kurdish fighters even though they are in theory both US allies committed to fighting together against Isil.
It was not clear if the confrontation in al-Rai was spontaneous or ordered by senior FSA figures or even their Turkish allies.
The US troops are believed to have been operating alongside Turkish forces in northern Syria. Video footage shows the American trucks sharing a road with Turkish tanks.
A spokesman for US Central Command said they were aware of the video and looking into the incident.