- Russian fighter jets attacked several U.S. drones flying over Syria on Friday.
- The same US drone MQ-9 Reaper later killed an ISIS leader during the operation.
- A Pentagon official said Monday that Moscow appeared to be “on a mission to protect the ISIS leader.”
After Russian fighter jets harassed U.S. drones sent to take out top terrorists just hours later, Russia said it would “protect” Islamic State leaders by sabotaging counter-terrorism operations. “It’s acting as if it’s on a mission,” a Pentagon official said Monday.
In recent days, U.S. officials have accused the Russian air force of conducting aggressive exercises around several NATO aircraft flying over Syria over the past week. Friday marked the third day in a row Pentagon leadership condemned Moscow pilots for “reckless” and “unprofessional” behavior.
An unspecified number of Russian aircraft flew close to three Reaper drones 18 times during the nearly two-hour engagement on Friday, forcing the drones to “response to avoid dangerous situations,” the US military said. Commander Lieutenant General Alexus Grinkewicz said: Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) announced at the time.
But hours later, the same Reaper drone struck eastern Syria, killing ISIS leader Osama al-Muhazir. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which unveiled the strike on Sunday, said it was not aware of civilian deaths but was reviewing reports that civilians may have been injured.
“We have made it clear that we remain committed to defeating ISIS throughout the region,” said CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael “Eric” Crilla. “ISIS remains a threat not only in the region, but beyond it.”
Russian military Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft use flares in the flight path of US MQ-9 aircraft over Syria, July 6, 2023.
US Air Force photo
The US has about 900 troops in Syria carrying out missions against ISIS targets. Meanwhile, Russia is working domestically to help the Assad regime’s ongoing civil war. In recent months, however, Washington has warned that increasingly dangerous behavior by Russian pilots is undermining U.S. interests. The United States and its partners have seen several such incidents in the last week alone.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday that the United States was outspoken about its mission in Syria to defeat ISIS, according to a Pentagon official who spoke at a press conference on Monday. said to clarify.
“The Russians know it and they know exactly where we operate. There is no excuse for the continued harassment of our MQ-9 by the Russian military after this,” Singh said. . “And it seems as if the Russians are on a mission to protect the ISIS leader.”
“So I can’t speak to other missions, but even if other missions were blocked by Russian actions, what I can say is that regardless of what the Russian military was trying to do in the air, CENTCOM I was able to successfully carry out this task,” she said.
A Russian SU-35 fighter jet approaches a US MQ-9 aircraft over Syria on July 5, 2023.
Screen capture via US Air Force
U.S. Air Force officials said last week they identified multiple instances of Russian fighter jets acting “dangerously and unprofessional” near NATO aircraft flying over Syria. On Wednesday, a Russian Su-35 dropped parachute flares in front of three Reaper drones and fired afterburners.
The next day, Russian Su-34 and Su-35 fighter jets dropped flares and came “dangerously close” to an unspecified number of Reaper drones. In another incident, also on Thursday, a Su-35 engaged in “non-professional exchanges” with two French Dassault Rafale fighter jets on patrol duty.
After Friday’s incident, Glinkevich said: “We will continue to encourage Russia to return to established norms as a professional air force, so we can all focus on ensuring the permanent defeat of ISIS. I can bring it back,” he said.
Colin Carle, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, told reporters on Friday that the United States was concerned about the ongoing nature of these incidents and that the United States did not want the practice to become the norm.
“Therefore, we will continue to highlight when Russians act empty, reckless and unprofessional. “I’m emphasizing that,” Karl said.