Russia ‘Harassed’ American Drones in Syria for 3 Straight Days: Pentagon
U.S. military drones were harassed three times in three days by Russian aircraft in Syria, Pentagon officials confirmed.
On Sunday, the U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said on Sunday that it had carried out a drone strike on Friday, July 7, that killed an ISIS terrorist leader in Syria and used MQ-9 Reaper drones in the attack. No other details were provided, but that those drones “earlier in the day been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours,” according to a CENTCOM statement.
“U.S. Central Command conducted a strike in Syria that resulted in the death of Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS leader in eastern Syria,” it said without giving any more details on al-Muhajir.
Officials said that on Thursday and Wednesday, Russian aircraft also allegedly harassed the MQ-9 drones in separate incidents, according to reports.
On Thursday, the military alleged, Russian fighters engaged in what officials described as unsafe and unprofessional behavior by dropping parachute flares in front of the drones. A day before, on Wednesday, three U.S. Reaper drones were also allegedly harassed by Russian fighter jets while those drones were on a mission against ISIS, said the Air Force.
The military also declassified videos showing Russian jets dropping the flares in front of the MQ-9 drones. One of the Russian jets also was seen using its afterburners.
U.S. Air Forces Central stated that ultimately, “Russian aircraft flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations,” adding: “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.” Russia has not issued a public comment about the Pentagon’s latest claims.
But Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, said this past week that the Russian and Syrian militaries had started a six-day joint training that ends Monday.
Gurinov added in comments carried by Syrian state media that Moscow was concerned about the flights of drones by the U.S.-led coalition over northern Syria, calling them “systematic violations of protocols” designed to avoid clashes between the two militaries, according to The Associated Press.
Washington has in the last year stepped up raids and operations against suspected ISIS operatives in Syria, killing and arresting various of its leaders who had taken shelter in areas under Turkey-backed rebel control after the group lost its last territory in Syria in 2019.
The U.S.-led campaign which killed former ISIS head Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who had declared himself the “caliph of all Muslims,” has since targeted its surviving leaders, many of whom are thought to have planned attacks abroad.
U.S. military commanders say ISIS remains a significant threat within the region, however, though its capabilities have been degraded and its ability to re-establish its network weakened.
ISIS, sometimes called Islamic State or ISIL, once controlled one-third of Iraq and Syria at its peak in 2014. Though it was beaten back in both countries, its militants continue to wage insurgent attacks.
“We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, in the Sunday statement. “ISIS is a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.”
The military statement said there are also no indications that any civilians were killed in the drone strike. However, officials are still assessing reports of civilian casualties.
“This will disrupt and degrade ISIS’s ability to plan and conduct terror attacks,” Sunday’s statement continued to say. “However, CENTCOM’s operations against ISIS, alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria, will continue in order to achieve the group’s enduring defeat.”
Other Incidents
The several days of close interactions between U.S. and Russian aircraft marks the third such confrontation this year. In March, the Pentagon released a clip of Russian jet colliding with another MQ-9 drone in international airspace, forcing the drone to crash into the Black Sea.
The incident drew a response from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said that “the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows, and it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.”
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
