18 Oct 2018 09:43

Russian source reports U.S.-led coalition's strike on Kurdish unit in Syria

MOSCOW. Oct 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Six Kurdish fighters were killed, and 15 suffered injuries as a result of a mistaken strike on the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor by two fighter jets of the U.S.-led coalition, a Russian military-diplomatic source said on Wednesday.

"Two F-15 fighters of the coalition bombed a Kurdish unit on the offensive against ISIL today because of the unprofessional performance of the U.S. Air Force. Six Kurdish fighters were killed, and at least 15 more suffered heavy injuries," the source said.

Kurdish units supported by the U.S.-led coalition are unsuccessfully fighting ISIL (banned in Russia) in the area of Hajin in the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, he said.

"A lack of coordination between the U.S. command and the Syrian Democratic Forces not just disrupted another attempt of the Kurdish offensive but also caused mass desertions from this area. ISIL has gained control of the area again," the source said.

"The U.S. military has made many mistakes in Syria," the source said.

"As a result, ISIL terrorists are enforcing their rules of the game in the Euphrates area. They demand that the Kurds immediately release all of their associates held by the Syrian Democratic Forces in special camps and that additional territories on the eastern bank of the Euphrates be passed under their control. They are using daily executions of hostages as leverage," he said.

"The fight against terrorists in this part of Syria has been being imitated for over six months; Washington is using it as an excuse of its illegal presence in the country," the source said.

"All these facts prove a failure of the U.S. policy in Syria; just like in the neighboring country of Iraq, it does not solve problems but creates new ones for the entire region," he said.