U.S. denies accusations its jets hit Syrian base

Washington says Russia responsible for deadly attack on army’s position

BEIRUT— The U.S. military alleged Monday that Russian warplanes were responsible for an attack on a Syrian army position in eastern Syria, an airstrike that Syria blamed on the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group in the country.

The Syrian government issued an angry statement earlier in the day accusing coalition aircraft of carrying out the overnight attack in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

The government said three Syrian army soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in the strike.

It was the first such allegation by Syria since the U.S.-led air campaign against the Islamic State group was launched in Syria 14 months ago, and it sent tensions soaring in Syria’s crowded skies.

The U.S.-led coalition said it’s also reviewing reports that its airstrikes against Islamic State militants Monday killed at least 36 civilians, including 20 children, in a village in eastern Syria.

The attack occurred on the mudbrick village of Al Khan in Hasakah province, which has fewer than 100 residents and is at the front line of a U.S.-backed offensive conducted by mainly Kurdish forces. It’s near the town of Al Hawl, which fell to Kurdish forces Nov. 13.

The U.S. Central Command said its aircraft had been in the area, and it was looking into the report.

A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the Pentagon is “certain” that a Russian warplane was responsible for the Deir al-Zour attack. There was no immediate response to the charge from either Syria or Russia.

The finger-pointing illustrated the danger that a misunderstanding, mistake or misinformation could trigger a wider conflict as Russia and the United States lead separate, rival air campaigns to combat the threat posed by Islamic State.

U.S. warplanes did conduct strikes in the province of Deir al-Zour overnight Sunday, but the targets were oil wells at least 55 kilometres from Ayyash, the location the Syrian government said was hit, according to Col. Steve Warren, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad.

At the same time, the Syrian opposition charged that a separate air raid carried out by Syrian government forces struck civilians in the Sukkari neighbourhood of the northern city of Aleppo. Syria’s Foreign Ministry called the alleged attack on the Syrian army post an act of “heinous aggression.” It said it sent letters of complaint to the UN secretary general and the UN Security Council, urging the United Nations to take “urgent measures” to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.

“The aggression on the military post hinders the efforts aiming to fight terrorism and reiterates that the U.S.-led coalition lacks seriousness and credibility in the fight against terrorism,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry statement said.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not confirm the information provided by the Syrian government.