US-led coalition breached Syria deconfliction protocols 315 times: MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Jul 2023 14:29

The US and its so-called counterterrorist coalition violated deconfliction protocols 315 times in the month of June.

In this June 13, 2010, file photo a U.S. Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile stands on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport in Afghanistan (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini, Pool, File)

The Deputy Head of Russia's Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, said that drones of the so-called US-led international counterterrorism coalition in Syria violated flight safety rules 315 times during the month of June.

"There are continued gross violations of the deconflicting protocols and the bilateral Memorandum on Flight Safety in Syria by the US-led so-called international coalition. The violations are deliberate and systematic, and their number has increased significantly compared with last year. In June 2023, there were 315 cases of violations related to flights of drones and ‘coalition’ aviation," TASS quoted Gurinov as saying on Saturday.

Earlier this week, Gurinov said Russian forces used high-precision strikes to eliminate illegal armed formations in the Idlib de-escalation zone, resulting in the destruction of several command posts, ammunition depots, and 18 militants.

"In order to stop the ongoing attempts of illegal armed groups from the Idlib de-escalation zone using UAVs to attack settlements located on the territory controlled by the authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic in the provinces of Idlib and Latakia, high strikes were carried out on June 27 against militant targets in the Sarjah area in the Idlib de-escalation zone," Gurinov told a briefing.

Gurinov added that a command center and a warehouse with weapons and ammunition were destroyed; 18 militants were eliminated as a result of the strikes.

He further added that the Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria calls on illegal armed groups to stop waging attacks on the positions of the Syrian government forces and civilian infrastructure facilities, warning them that precision air strikes will follow.

Last month, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it deployed several F-22 fighter jets across the Middle East in response to Russia's alleged "unprofessional" actions.

Grynkewich alleged that Russian warplanes had tried to bait US jets into "dogfighting" over Syria.

Russian forces responded by saying that the US-led international coalition 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 on June 22, 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 will "seek to destabilize the situation in government-controlled areas" of Syria.