The US Department of Defense said a US drone killed a Syrian Islamic State leader moments after Russian military jetfighters buzzed MQ-9 Reaper drones in the west.
On Friday, Russian aircraft harassed three Reaper drones for two hours. After the encounter, the drones killed Usamah al-Muhajir in Aleppo, who was attacked while driving a motorcycle. The IS official operated in the east, although the attack occurred in northwest Syria, according to a report from Politico. The US military has not confirmed the victim's identity or released operation specifics.
The strike did not kill civilians, but the US Central Command is investigating civilian injuries.
US authorities had reported concerns about Russian fighter jets flying dangerously near American drones and harassing them for three days before this incident.
US Blasts Russian Aircraft's Dangerous Moves
The commander of the US Air Forces Central Command, Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, criticized the actions of the Russian aircraft, saying that they made 18 careless near passes that required the MQ-9 drones to take evasive action to maintain safety.
The US military had previously filed concerns earlier in the week when Russian military aircraft behaved dangerously while on a mission against ISIS. The near-hour-long events included close fly-bys and the direct firing of flares into the MQ-9 drone.
Rear Adm Oleg Gurinov, the director of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, announced joint training exercises between the Russian and Syrian forces that started last week and would end on Monday in the middle of these events. He worried about the US-led coalition's deployment of drones over northern Syria, calling them "systematic violations of protocols" aimed at preventing war, as per an AP News article.
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The United States accused Russia of shooting down a Reaper drone over the Black Sea, prompting these new interactions. According to US footage made public, Reaper drones and Russian airplanes were involved in two incidents on Wednesday and Thursday,
Russian SU-35 pilot having fun with US Reaper drone over Syria. The pilot should have whazzed fuel on it, same technique used to drop the Reaper that invaded Russia's ADIZ, though perhaps the pilot didn't have the fuel to spare. Ingesting a large quantity of fuel should cause the… pic.twitter.com/EW7KrB7iev
— Chebureki Man (@CheburekiMan) July 6, 2023
US-Russia Tensions in Syria
Earlier this year, a diplomatic disagreement arose when the US accused Russian jets of shooting down a Reaper drone worth over $30 million. The drone was equipped with sensitive US spying technology and conducted operations over the Black Sea then, per Al Jazeera.
Moscow disputed US assertions that the drone crashed into the sea in March. US military released footage that showed Russian planes blocking the drone's flight path.
The Pentagon denied Russian Defense Ministry reports that US drones were operating near Russian planes. However, US drones have targeted prominent IS officials in northeastern Syria in the past, according to ABC News.
Both armed services have been using a deconfliction safety line for years to guarantee safety and stop any possible mishaps.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime is an ally of Russia.
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