American soldiers injured in clash with Russian military in Syria

Several US soldiers were injured in a clash with a Russian military convoy in eastern Syria on Tuesday, August 25. Writes about it CNN, citing several US officials familiar with the situation.

Photo: Shutterstock

The source said the soldiers were injured when one of the Russian vehicles (presumably a Russian helicopter) apparently deliberately collided with an American vehicle, causing the crew to suffer "concussion-like injuries." According to initial reports, up to four Americans were injured.

The Russian military helicopter flew quickly and low over the US military deployment area, officials said. This trick is often used by the military to disperse people on the ground.

Despite the fact that the US military leadership at the highest level was aware of the incident shortly after it happened, the Pentagon has still not publicly acknowledged that the Americans were hurt, sources said.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milli, spoke to his counterpart, Russian Chief of the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, by phone on Wednesday, Milli’s spokesman said.

The spokesman did not provide details of the call.

US troops in Syria have often found themselves in close proximity to Russian troops who support the Syrian regime, but this is believed to be the first time that US troops have been wounded in a clash with Russian troops.

Although officials of the US-led coalition publicly described these interactions as mostly professional, touting mechanisms to resolve conflicts with Russia, the number of clashes increased as Russian troops moved into areas that were ceded to the United States after the Trump administration decided to withdraw troops from the Syrian-Turkish border. ...

On the subject: Amnesty International: Russian troops deliberately bomb schools and hospitals in Syria

One official stressed that the incident on Tuesday took place in an established security zone in eastern Syria, where the Democratic Forces of the United States and Syria regularly operate, adding that the Russians know they are obligated to end their operations with the United States in the area.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he called his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, last week to discuss “ways to ensure mutual trust and transparency to prevent accidents during both countries’ military operations.”

The Russian statement said that "the conversation was initiated by the United States."

The Pentagon declined to make a statement about the call, but a Defense Department spokesman confirmed to CNN that the call did indeed take place, without providing any further details.

Moscow has long been protesting against the presence of US troops in Syria, where they mostly work with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to fight the remnants of ISIS.

Russia has particularly protested against the presence of American and Kurdish forces near the Syrian oil fields, which the Syrian democratic forces are using to fund their operations.

The oil fields were the scene of clashes between US troops and Russian mercenaries in 2018 as the latter tried to take over them.

The US military believes that the regime in Damascus has awarded Russia contracts to process oil fields controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian democratic forces, and is seeking to expel the United States and its local allies from the region.

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