Topic: US-led coalition aircraft strike Syrian army positions, kill 62 soldiers (Read 416 times)

The same what was done to M-17. Judging by the following such attacks won't be the last.

Remember the UN convoy, bombed by US and blamed on Russia?

Aggressor units have their aircraft marked up similarly to enemy aircraft and learn and use their tactics for the purpose of training other pilots. The idea is that if pilots are trained to combat enemy style tactics and capabilities, instead of training against their own tactics, they'll be better at fighting the enemy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggressor_squadron

Photos showing US jets being painted Russian colors have triggered debates and conspiracy theories online, with many saying Washington plans to conduct false flag attacks in Syria and blame them on Moscow.

The pictures of the US jets were posted by a Canadian journalist last week on his Twitter account.

    The U.S is painting their F/A-18's to match the paint schemes of Russian jets in #Syria. Standard training, but interesting nonetheless. pic.twitter.com/FVN6tMj2Ji
    — Christian Borys (@ItsBorys) October 6, 2016

Although the journalist noted that painting fighter jets in the colors of potential adversaries is standard practice, they caused a stir among conspiracy theorists.

Many of them accused the US of preparing a false flag attack aimed at framing Russia in Syria.

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What happened above is that USA openly attacked the armed forces of another country (what's new, you may ask) - but this time an attack on Syria is an attack on Russia, as Russia is acting in Syria as a guarantor of integrity and sovereignty of that country.

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English summary translation:

According to Fars News agency, Russian military ships launched three Kalibr cruise missiles; the strike hit the Dar Ezza joint intelligence coordination center for the US coalition, killing 30 Israeli and Western officers. The center, aka, Field Operations Room near Aleppo is staffed with officers from US, Turkey, UK, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Qatar. Canadian researcher Michel Chossudovsky says that the center was hit after US coalition forces bombed the Syrian army. The intelligence center in question provided intelligence and played a leading role in making the bombing happen.

US-led coalition jets have bombed Syrian government forces’ positions near the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, killing 62 troops and "paving the way" for Islamic State militants, the Syrian Army General Command told the state television.

According to Syria’s official SANA news agency, the bombing took place on al-Tharda Mountain in the region of Deir ez-Zor and caused casualties and destruction on the ground.
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© Khalil Ashawi US & US-controlled forces haven't fulfilled any Syria ceasefire deal obligations - Russian Army

Sixty-two Syrian soldiers were killed and over 100 injured in the airstrike by the US-led coalition, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, said, citing information received from the Syrian General Command.

“We are aware of the reports and checking with Centcom and CJTF (Combined Joint Task Force),” the Pentagon told RT.

The US Central Command later has issued a statement, saying that it had no intention of targeting Syrian government forces near Dier ez-Zor.

“Syria is a complex situation with various military forces and militias in close proximity, but [the] coalition would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit,” the statement read.

CENTCOM promised that the strike and circumstances surrounding it will be reviewed “to see if any lesson can be learned.”

According to a news release of the US Department of Defense, the coalition’s aviation performed combat missions in Dier ez-Zor on Saturday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that the aircraft which carried out the bombings had entered Syrian airspace from the territory of Iraq.

Four strikes against Syrian positions was performed by two F-16 jet fighters and two A-10 support aircraft, it added.

“If the airstrike was caused by the wrong coordinates of targets than it’s a direct consequence of the stubborn unwillingness of the American side to coordinate with Russia in its actions against terrorist groups in Syria,” Konashenkov stressed.

The Defense Ministry also confirmed a report by SANA that an Islamic State offensive began right after Syrian Army positions were hit from the air.

"Immediately after the airstrike by coalition planes, Islamic State militants launched their offensive. Fierce fighting with the terrorists is currently underway in the area of the airport where for a long a time humanitarian aid for civilians was parachuted,” Konashenkov said.

The Syrian General Command has called the bombing a “serious and blatant aggression” against Syrian forces, and said it was "conclusive evidence" that the US and its allies support IS militants.

Earlier on Saturday, Russia accused the US of being reluctant to take measures to force rebels under its control to fall in line with the terms of the Syrian ceasefire.

Numerous Russian appeals to the American side remain unanswered, which “raises doubts over the US’s ability to influence opposition groups under their control and their willingness to further ensure the implementation of the Geneva agreements,” senior Russian General Staff official, Viktor Poznikhir, said.

Poznikhir also said that the truce is being used by the militants to regroup, resupply and prepare an offensive against government troops.

Last week, Moscow and Washington agreed to influence the Syrian government and the so-called moderate rebel forces respectively in order to establish a ceasefire in the country.

Since then, Russia has repeatedly complained that the US is failing to keep its part of the bargain. The US, on its part, has blamed Russia for not pressuring Damascus enough to facilitate humanitarian access to Syria.