US continues violating deconfliction protocols in Syria: Russian MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Jun 2023 23:56
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Terror attacks against Syrian troops and civilians have increasingly become frequent.

An F-22 after deploying to the Middle East earlier today (US Air Force)

Oleg Gurinov, the deputy head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said on Thursday that the US-led international coalition which illegitimately occupies parts of Syria's northern territories is continuing to commit gross violations of deconfliction protocols and of the Air Safety Memorandum in Syria.

"Gross violations of the deconfliction protocols and the bilateral Memorandum on Air Safety in Syria by the US-led so-called international coalition continue. Violations are purposeful and systematic. Over the past day, 18 cases of violations related to the flights of drones and aviation of the coalition were recorded," Gurinov told a briefing, noting that terror attacks against Syrian troops and civilians have increasingly become frequent.

"Cases of terrorist attacks against the Syrian military and the civilian population have become more frequent. In June, 47 violations of the ceasefire were recorded, of which 24 were only in the past week," Gurinov said, adding that there has been the activation of destructive forces that "seek to destabilize the situation in government-controlled areas" of Syria.

On Wednesday, Combined Forces Air Component Commander for US Central Command Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said that the US is ready to send more troops to the Middle East in order to 'deter aggression' in the region.

The comments were delivered in response to a question about the effect of the recent US deployment of F-22 fighter jets in the region.

"We are here to stay, and we will bring forces into the region as needed to deter aggression," Grynkewich said.

Although he did not clarify the kind of aggression the US aims to deter, he said that the recently deployed F-22 jets are meant to ensure regional stability and reset the US relations with Russia in Syria.

"While the US does not have as many forces in the region on a daily basis as we did, say, three or four years ago, we do have the ability to very rapidly bring other forces from outside the region," he said.