Russian fighter jets ‘harassing’ American MQ-9 drones over Syria: US

“Russian aircraft flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations,” Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement.

The Russian and Syrian militaries were engaged in a six-day joint military training which ended on Monday, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, said earlier this week.

Gurinov, in his remarks quoted by the Syrian state media earlier this week, expressed Moscow’s apprehension regarding the drone operations conducted by the coalition led by the United States over the northern region of Syria. He referred to these activities as “systematic breaches of established protocols” aimed at preventing conflicts between the two military forces.

Unsafe and unprofessional behavior

According to the US military, the first friction occurred on Wednesday morning when Russian military aircraft “engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behavior.” The American MQ-9 drones were on a mission against the targets of Islamic State when the Russian jets intervened. A similar incident was repeated on Thursday when Russian jets flew “incredibly unsafe and unprofessionally” against French and US drones.

The United States and France are among the nations collaborating within a global alliance to combat the Islamic State (IS) organization, which previously held significant territories in Syria and Iraq and proclaimed a caliphate. Despite the defeat of IS in Iraq in 2017 and their subsequent defeat in Syria less than two years thereafter, the extremist group continues to perpetrate lethal attacks in both nations.

“We continue to encourage Russia to return to the established norms of a professional Air Force so we can all return our focus to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Grynkewich said, using a term to refer to IS.

(With AP inputs)

Updated: 08 Jul 2023, 05:22 PM IST