United States says it carried out strike that killed Islamic State leader in eastern Syria – Osamah al-Muhajir, reported in “The Guardian”.
According to US Central Command, the attack was carried out on July 7 by the same MQ-9 drones that earlier in the day collided with Russian planeslasting almost two hours.
Earlier, the US Air Force released video footage it claimed showed an encounter between the drones and Russian fighter jets that forced the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive action.
The US says Russian jets have interfered with its drones over Syria
The drones were involved in a mission against Islamic State targets
The US Central Air Force stated that the events in question represent a new level of unprofessional and dangerous actions by the Russian Air Force operating in Syria.
The commander of the US 9th Air Force in the Middle East, Alex Grinkevich, said the Russian planes had dropped flares attached to parachutes in front of the US drones, forcing the drones to take evasive maneuvers.
Furthermore one of the Russian pilots maneuvered in front of a drone and activated the aircraft’s afterburner cameras, making it difficult to fly it safely.
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Nine US-led coalition drone flights in Syria
2023-07-09 14:14:00
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