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| A Super Hornet takes off from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, Oct. 29, 2016. A Super Hornet reportedly downed a Syrian SU-22 fighter jet Sunday. |
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| Syrian warplane SU-22 drops bombs to attack US-led coalition in Syria |
US Central Command said the SU-22 dropped bombs near the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who are being supported by the US-led coalition as they advance on the terrorist stronghold of Raqqa.. “In accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defence of Coalition partnered forces, it was immediately shot down by a US F/A-18E Super Hornet,” a statement said.
“The Coalition's mission is to defeat Isis in Iraq and Syria. The Coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend Coalition or partner forces from any threat.
It was the most significant US attack on Bashar al-Assad's forces since April, when Donald Trump ordered missile strikes on a government airbase that launched a chemical attack.
To react on this, Russian Defense Ministry todao on Monday, June 19th 2017, declares will treat US-led coalition Fighter Jets as targets in Syria. Please read this news from Good Morning America on Yahoo News at: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/u-shoots-down-syrian-fighter-jet-over-syria-210705900--abc-news-topstories.html.
VietPress USA.oOo
Russia warns it will treat US-led coalition jets in parts of
Syria as targets after US downed Syrian plane
Good Morning America
LUIS MARTINEZ
Good Morning AmericaJune 19, 2017
The Russian Defense Ministry blasted the U.S.'s shooting
down of a Syrian fighter jet as a "massive violation of international
law" and said it will begin treating U.S.-led coalition jets flying west
of the Euphrates River in Syria as targets.
The ministry's comments Monday came after a U.S. Navy
fighter jet on Sunday shot down a Syrian fighter jet that dropped bombs on
rebel forces fighting ISIS in Syria.
It was the first time the U.S. has engaged in air-to-air
combat in Syria, signaling an escalation of the conflict. It is is also the
first time an American aircraft has shot down any other country's plane in
air-to-air combat since 1999, when a U.S. Air Force F-16 shot down a Serbian
Mig-29 during the Kosovo air campaign.
Russia, which is backing the Syrian regime in the civil war,
slammed the U.S. action as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
"Repeated combat actions by U.S. aviation under the
cover of counterterrorism against lawful armed forces of a country that is a
member of the U.N. are a massive violation of international law and de facto a
military aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic," the Russian Defense
Ministry said.
The ministry warned that any U.S.-led coalition aircraft
flying west of the Euphrates "will be tracked by the Russian ground and
air anti-aircraft defense systems as air targets in the areas where Russian
aviation is on combat missions in the Syrian sky."
The Syrian jet was downed in an area southwest of the
Euphrates River. The U.S.-led coalition conducts missions west of the Euphrates
River near Manbij and Al Bab, two towns retaken from ISIS by U.S.-backed rebel
forces.
The coalition said in a statement that its focus is on
fighting ISIS, not the Syrian regime or Russian forces, but that it will not
hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces coming under attack.
The downing occurred over the town of Ja'Din, south of
Tabqa, which was recently retaken from ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an
umbrella group of Syrian Kurdish and Arab rebel forces supported by the U.S. in
the fight against ISIS.
The SDF came under attack from Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's forces around 4:30 p.m. local time. A number of SDF fighters were
wounded in the assault, and the SDF soon left Ja'Din.
Coalition aircraft conducted a show of force overhead that
stopped the regime's advance toward the town.
"Following the pro-Syrian forces' attack, the coalition
contacted its Russian counterparts by telephone via an established
deconfliction line to de-escalate the situation and stop the firing," said
a statement from Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition fighting
ISIS.
"At 6:43 p.m., a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near
SDF fighters south of Tabqah and, in accordance with rules of engagement and in
collective self-defense of coalition partnered forces, was immediately shot
down by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet," the statement continued.
The Syrian pilot is believed to have ejected from the
aircraft, according to a U.S. official.
But the Russian Defense Ministry contradicted the
coalition's claim that the air-safety hotline was used and noted that there
were Russian aircraft in the area when the Syrian plane was shot down.
The ministry said it would stop its participation in the
deconfliction line, much as it did after U.S. cruise missile strikes in Syria
in April. But at the time, U.S. and Russian forces continued to use the hotline
despite Russia's announcement.
Ja'Din is approximately 2 kilometers north of an established
deconfliction area.
The U.S.-led coalition in its statement stressed its goals
in Syria and said it will defend its partnered forces.
"The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime,
Russian or pro-regime forces partnered with them but will not hesitate to
defend coalition or partner forces from any threat," it said. "The
demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward coalition
and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will
not be tolerated."
The downing of the Syrian jet is the latest escalation
between the U.S.-led coalition and pro-regime forces in the country.
Over the last four weeks, the U.S. has conducted three
airstrikes on pro-regime forces backed by Iran that have moved into a
de-confliction zone around the town of Tanf in southwestern Syria, where there
is a coalition training base for local forces fighting ISIS.
oOo
Hạnh Dương
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