A coalition of forces backed by the United States say Russian warplanes carried out an airstrike that injured several of their members.
According to a press release from the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve — the U.S.’s campaign in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State — Russian forces struck a target east of the Euphrates River in Syria near Dayr Az Zawr at around 12:30 a.m. local time Saturday.
The attack “impacted a location known to the Russians to contain Syrian Democratic Forces and Coalition advisors,” the press release states.
Several SDF fighters were hurt and had to receive medical care, but none of the coalition troops advising and assisting the fighters were seriously wounded.
“Coalition officials are available and the de-confliction line with Russia is open 24 hours per day,” said Coalition commander Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk II. “We put our full efforts into preventing unnecessary escalation among forces that share ISIS as our common enemy.”
The Syrian Democratic Forces are an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, with assistance from the U.S.’s Operation Inherent Resolve. They, plus the Russian-backed Syrian regime, are conducting similar but separate campaigns against ISIS in the region.
AFP reported the Saturday airstrike would be the first time Russia has attacked the U.S.-backed SDF.
Russia’s military spokesman denied it, telling AFP: “This is not possible. Why would we bomb them?”
The Russian and Syrian regime warplanes have been accused of carrying out airstrikes at will, killing civilians as well. In June, a U.S. fighter jet shot down a Syrian warplane accused of bombing SDF fights in the north.
Syria has been in crisis since 2011, when there was an attempted ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, the war has become more complex and more deadly, resulting in more than 330,000 people dead and displacing millions more.
ISIS moved into Syria in 2014, taking over large swathes of territory and blurring the lines between peaceful civilians and pro-government supporters.
