Russia protests 'provocative actions' by US occupation forces in Syria
3 Min Read
The head of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria says US occupation forces had twice been spotted in areas that lay outside agreed zones.
-
US occupation troops patrol near the Turkish border in Al-Hasakah, Syria, November 4, 2018 (Reuters)
Russia has protested to the American-led so-called coalition against the Islamic State militant group about "provocative actions" by US armed forces in Syria, Reuters reported, citing Russian news agency TASS on Friday.
The news agency cited a senior Russian official as saying that the incidents had occurred in the northeastern province of Al-Hasakah.
Russia - which together with Turkey is carrying out joint patrols in northern Syria - has agreed to special zones where the so-called coalition can operate.
But Russian Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, told TASS that US forces had twice been spotted in areas that lay outside the agreed zones.
"Provocative actions by units of the US Armed Forces have been recorded in the Al-Hasakah Province," Gurinov confirmed, specifying that "during joint Russian-Turkish patrols, the movement of two patrols conducted by the so-called anti-terrorist coalition were tracked."
"The Russian side lodged a protest with the coalition," he stressed, without giving details of timing.
Last week, the Pentagon said the US military carried out "precision airstrikes" in eastern Syria in response to a drone attack that targeted a US occupation base near Al-Hasakah and killed one American military contractor and injured 12 US troops.
The New York Times reported that the United States was investigating the reason why its air defense system was not fully operational during the strike.
The US military currently has no knowledge as to why the system did not work as it should, and the circumstances are being investigated at present time, the report said, citing two officials.
It is noteworthy that the US has for long employed the alleged "ISIS threat" as a pretext to continue its illegal occupation of northeastern Syrian territories.
US occupation forces frequently loot oil from Syrian gas fields and transport them to other occupation bases in Iraq via illegal crossings.
In early March, the US House of Representatives voted against legislation instructing Biden to end the US occupation of the Syrian Al-Tanf region and remove approximately 900 troops.
Currently, the US army and other foreign forces, participating in the so-called "International Coalition", occupy no less than 28 declared occupation sites in Syria, distributed over three governorates: Al-Hasakah (17 sites), Deir Ezzor (nine sites), and Homs (two sites).
Read more: Attacks on bases in Syria forces US to extend carrier deployment
