World
09:12, 17-Sep-2017
Confusion arises over who's responsible as airstrike hits US-backed fighters in Syria
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An airstrike near Syria’s eastern city of Deir Ezzor wounded six members of a US-backed force on Saturday, but confusion remains over who is to be blamed for the attack — Russian or Syrian warplanes, according to Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The US-backed force, however, claims Russia is responsible.
The command of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement that Saturday’s attack occurred on the eastern side of the Euphrates River in the industrial area that was recently liberated from the terrorist group ISIL.
SDF fighters have been advancing against ISIL fighters on the eastern bank of the river while Syrian government forces and their allies are pushing against the extremists on the river's western side.
In addition to the campaign against ISIL jihadists in the area around Deir Ezzor, Syrian government troops and their allies intensified an offensive Friday in central Syria, trying to consolidate their control of the area.
Russian soldiers who convoyed a group of journalists stand guard as local children look at them with curiosity in the city of Deir Ezzor, Syria, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. (AP Photo)
Russian soldiers who convoyed a group of journalists stand guard as local children look at them with curiosity in the city of Deir Ezzor, Syria, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. (AP Photo)
The Syrian troops and Russian military police patrolled the dusty and desolate streets of Okeirbat, which was recaptured from the extremists on September 2.
A militant counteroffensive was crushed Thursday amid intense Russian airstrikes. Distant thuds of artillery were heard in Friday afternoon and evening, indicating the persistent fighting.
The militants had controlled Okeirbat since 2014, and Russian military officials showed visiting journalists a bombed-out ISIL warehouse that was used to repair and fortify tanks in the once-thriving town of 10,000 people, the largest held by ISIL in Hama province.
The fight for Okeirbat, which lies on a strategic route linking western Syria to ISIL strongholds in the east, reflects the terror group’s desperation to retain its presence in the central Syrian province.
It also shows the determination of the government of President Bashar Assad to uproot the group from the area, which had been a launching pad for attacks.
The Russian military has provided extensive air cover for the forces of Assad, Moscow’s longtime ally, in the civil war. It sought to portray the capture of Okeirbat as a major breakthrough, helping an offensive in which Syrian government forces broke a siege by ISIL militants on the strategic city of Deir Ezzor only two weeks ago.
Source(s): AP