US plane shoots down Syrian regime aircraft
A UNITED States warplane shot down a Syrian military aircraft for the first time yesterday, marking a significant escalation in the long-running conflict.
The jet was targeted after it dropped bombs near Usbacked fighters in Syria, the US military said, and came down near Raqqa.
The US Central Command issued a statement saying the plane was downed “in collective self-defence of Coalition-partnered forces” and that the US did not seek a fight with the Syrian government or its Russian supporters.
The soldiers it was defending were identified as fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces near Tabqah.
The Syrian army said earlier that the plane had been shot down during a combat mission against Isil militants. It said that the pilot had died in the incident, which would mark the first “air-to-air” kill since Operation Allied Force in 1999.
The Pentagon said prosyrian regime forces attacked the Us-backed Syrian Democratic Forces-held town of Ja’din, in northern Syria, driving the SDF from the town.
Coalition forces stopped the initial pro-regime advance toward the town, the Pentagon said. Following the pro-syrian forces attack, the coalition called on its Russian counterparts “to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing,” according to the statement.
A few hours later, the Syrian SU-22 dropped bombs near SDF fighters and, “in collective self-defence of coalition-partnered forces,” was immediately shot down by a US Super Hornet, the Pentagon said.