US official say Russia’s behavior in Syria to cause loss of life
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Russian fighter jet flew very close to a US surveillance aircraft over Syria, putting the lives of US crew members in danger, US officials said Monday on condition of anonymity.
The officials said the incident, which happened on Sunday, was a significant escalation in what has been a string of encounters between US and Russian aircraft in Syria in recent weeks, ABC News reported.
The officials said that it is a new level of unsafe behavior that could result in an accident or loss of life.
In recent weeks, Russian fighter jets have repeatedly harassed US unmanned MQ-9 drones, but the latest incident raised alarms because it endangered US lives.
The MC-12 was doing surveillance in support of operations against the Islamic State )ISIS) in Syria, the officials said.
A US senior defense official said on Sunday that Russia has been acting in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, especially in the air. Russia’s efforts to interfere with unmanned aerial vehicles engaged in actions against ISIS are concerns.
The Russian military activity, which has increased in frequency and aggression since March, stems from growing cooperation and coordination between Russia, Iran and the Syrian government to try to pressure the US to leave Syria.