Russians ‘not hitting Islamic State’
United States Defence Secretary Ash Carter says the Russian air strikes in Syria appear to have targeted areas that do not include Islamic State fighters, a development which US Secretary of State John Kerry said would cause ‘‘grave concern’’ for the US.
Kerry told the United Nations Security Council that the US would not object to Russians hitting Islamic State or al Qaeda targets, but air strikes just to strengthen the hand of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be worrisome.
‘‘It does appear they were in in areas where there probably were not ISIL forces,’’ Carter said of the Russian air strikes, using an alternative acronym for Islamic State. ‘‘The result of this kind of action will inevitably simply be to inflame the civil war in Syria.’’
Carter said he couldn’t confirm reports that the Russian strikes may have hit civilians, but ‘‘if it occurred, it’s yet another reason why this kind of Russian action can and will backfire very badly on Russia’’.
Carter’s comments triggered a dismissive response from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who told reporters ‘‘Don’t listen to the Pentagon about the Russian strikes’’ and referred them to the Russian defence ministry website.
Some US-backed rebel groups claimed they were hit by Russian air strikes, but those claims could not be confirmed.
A key unanswered question, however, is what the US will do if the Russian air strikes target moderate Syrian rebel groups working with the US-led coalition in the fight against Islamic State.
Asked if the coalition would protect the US-trained or aligned groups, Carter did not answer. Instead, he said the strikes highlighted a contradiction in Russia’s approach. He said the Russians should not be supporting the Assad government, and their military moves were ‘‘doomed to fail’’.
Carter also expressed disappointment that the Russians did not use formal channels to provide the US with advance notice of the air strikes, but instead sent an official to the US Embassy in Baghdad for what he characterised as an unprofessional ‘‘drop-in’’.
‘‘By supporting Assad and seemingly taking on everyone who is fighting Assad, you’re taking on the whole rest of the country of Syria,’’ Carter said. ‘‘That is not our position. At least some parts of the anti-Assad opposition belong in the political transition going forward. That’s why the Russian approach is doomed to fail.’’
He added that more formal talks with the Russians should get under way ‘‘within days’’.
Kerry said Russian operations must not support Assad or inter- fere with those of the US-led coalition attacking Islamic State targets. He called for an urgent start to military-to-military talks to prevent any kind of conflict between Russia and the coalition, suggesting that they begin this week.
‘‘If Russia’s recent actions and those now ongoing reflect a genuine commitment to defeat [Islamic State], then we are prepared to welcome those efforts,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘But we must not and will not be confused in our fight against ISIL with support for Assad. Moreover, we have also made clear that we would have grave concerns should Russia strike areas where ISIL and al Qaeda-affiliated targets are not operating.’’