US killed ‘hundreds’ of Syria Russians
Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that “a couple hundred Russians” were killed during US airstrikes on Syria last month.
Pompeo, the current CIA director, was speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing when he revealed details about the Feb. 7 attack on Russian mercenaries.
“In Syria now, a handful of weeks ago, the Russians met their match,” Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “A couple hundred Russians were killed.”
US officials last month said they were unable to determine how many Russians were killed in the airstrikes.
Pompeo was also pressed at the five-hour hearing on whether he agreed with President Trump’s tweet that “much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation.”
Pompeo contradicted Trump, saying that Russia’s “bad behavior” — not special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe — is responsible for heightened tensions with the United States.
“The historic conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, and now Russia, is caused by Russian bad behavior,” he responded.
Pompeo, who is in line to replace Rex Tillerson at the State Department, also called for continued sanctions against Russia to deliver a “message” to Vladimir Putin for meddling in the 2016 election.