Russian bomb strike wounds US-allied forces, says coalition

Beirut: The US-led coalition said that Russian forces had bombed American-backed fighters battling the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, wounding several, despite denials from Moscow.

The unprecedented strike was initially reported by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters support- ed by Washington, on Saturday.

The SDF accused Russian planes of bombing its fighters for the first time in the complex war, though Russia’s military spokesman denied targeting the group.

“This is not possible. Why would we bomb them?” military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at Hmeimim, Moscow’s main base for its air operations in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

A statement later by the coalition dismissed the Russian denial.

“Russian munitions impacted a location known to the Russians to contain Syrian Democratic Forces and coalition advisers.

“Several SDF fighters were wounded and received medical care as a result of the strike,” the coalition statement said.

No coalition troops were wounded in the early morning strike east of the Euphrates River near Syria’s oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor, the coalition added.

The SDF and Russian-backed Syrian government forces are con- ducting parallel but separate offensives against IS in Deir Ezzor.

Regime troops are engaged in an offensive against the provincial capital, Deir Ezzor city, while SDF fighters are battling IS militants further east across the Euphrates.

The SDF earlier said six of its fighters were wounded in Russian and regime bombing. — AFP