US coalition air strike kills 62 Syrian soldiers, Russia slams US at emergency UNSC meeting
The US-led coalition on Saturday hit a Syrian army position, killing some 62 soldiers in the air strike and prompting Russia to call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and accusing the US of violating the recent US-Russia deal on Syria.
The US said it had mistaken the soldiers for ISIS fighters, AFP reported.
The strikes came with diplomatic tensions escalating between Moscow and Washington less than a week into a fragile ceasefire aimed at stopping the bloodshed in Syria's five-year civil war.
American officials said the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group may have hit Syrian military positions.
"Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh (IS) fighting position," a Pentagon statement said, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group.
"The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military."
Washington said it was investigating the incident but dismissed Moscow's call for an urgent Security Council meeting as a "stunt".
"If
we
determine
that
we
did
indeed
strike
Syrian
military
personnel,
that
was
not
our
intention.
And
we
of
course
regret
the
loss
of
life,"
US
ambassador
to
the
UN
Samantha
Power
told
journalists
as
the
closed-door
meeting
got
underway
Saturday
night.
Power
described
Russia's
request
for
the
meeting
as
a
"stunt,
replete
with
moralism
and
grandstanding,"
saying
Moscow
should
instead
demand
a
meeting
with
the
Syrian
regime
to
press
for
peace.
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin returned by accusing the United States of violating agreements that it would not target Syrian positions.
The Russian military earlier said the situation was deteriorating, adding that the United States would be responsible if the fragile ceasefire in force since Monday collapses.
The
Syrian
Observatory
for
Human
Rights
monitoring
group
gave
a
toll
of
83
soldiers
killed,
as
it
confirmed
the
strikes
were
US-led
coalition
raids.
"Warplanes
from
the
international
anti-militant
coalition
carried
out
four
air
strikes
today
against
Syrian
forces
surrounded
by
IS
in
the
Deir
Ezzor
air
base,"
a
Russian
army
statement
said.
"Sixty-two Syrian soldiers were killed and a hundred others were injured in these strikes."
A Syrian military source inside the Deir Ezzor airport told AFP US-led coalition strikes hit two hilltops near the airport.
Russian military officials meanwhile lashed out at both the United States and mainstream rebels in the strongest language yet over the ceasefire struck last week in Geneva, a last-ditch effort to stop the bloodshed in Syria.
"The situation in Syria is worsening," Russian General Vladimir Savchenko said in a televised briefing earlier.
"In
the
past
24
hours,
the
number
of
attacks
have
risen
sharply,"
with
55
attacks
on
government
positions
and
civilians,
killing
12
civilians,
he
said.
In
a
statement,
the
Russian
defence
ministry
accused
what
it
termed
"moderate
rebels"
of
causing
the
ceasefire
to
fail.
Under the US-Russia deal, if the truce lasts seven days and humanitarian access is granted, Moscow and Washington are to work together to target militants including IS.
"If
the
American
side
does
not
take
the
necessary
measures
to
carry
out
its
obligations...
a
breakdown
of
the
ceasefire
will
be
on
the
United
States,"
army
general
Viktor
Poznikhir
said.
Russian
President
Vladimir
Putin,
a
key
ally
of
Syrian
President
Bashar
al-Assad,
said
earlier
Saturday
he
remained
"positive"
about
the
truce
but
accused
rebels
of
"attempts
to
regroup".