Russian planes over US bases in Syria collect intelligence – US official
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Russian planes flying over US bases in Syria are collecting intelligence and probably sharing that data with adversaries of the US in the region, a US top official said on June 7.
Lt Gen Alexus Grynkewich, combined forces air component commander for US Central Command, said that some of the Russian planes were equipped with sensors that most likely are used to gather info on US positions.
The US and Russia agreed in 2019 to split the airspace over Syria and to not fly over each other’s positions. Recently, Grynkewich said recent Russian overflights are a violation of this understanding.
The probability that countries such as Syria and Iran are receiving the Russian-gathered intel is concerning, he added.
Intelligence gathered by Russia could pave the way for future attacks against US troops by Iran in Syria and Iraq, Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, said on June 8.
Russia is looking to increase the pain on the US in Syria because of the latter’s activities in support of Ukraine,” Nicholas Heras, director of strategy and innovation at the Washington-based New Lines Institute, said on June 8.
Jonathan Lord, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, said that Russia’s presence in Syria has enabled the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s worst atrocities and put US forces engaging in the anti-Islamic State (ISIS) campaign at risk.
On June 7, Grynkewich said that Russia’s military forces in Syria have stopped adhering to agreed-upon de-confliction protocols with the US and US-led Global Coalition to defeat ISIS.
Grynkewich said in March that the Russian military jets have flown over US positions in al-Tanf, on Syria’s tri-border area with Jordan and Iraq, 25 times in March. In January, that figure was 14.