WASHINGTON – And US drone attack killed a leader of the extremist group Islamic State in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military aircraft in the west of the country, the Pentagon reported.
Three Reapers flew over the area looking for the militant on Friday, a US defense official said, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian planes. Soon after, drones killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to report on the matter.
The official said that al-Muhajir was in northwestern Syria at the time of the attack, but that he usually operated in the east.
It was not immediately clear how the US military confirmed that the person killed was al-Muhajir; No other details were provided either.
In a statement on Sunday, the US Central Command said there was no indication that any civilians had been killed in the attack. The army was evaluating reports that a civilian may have been injured.
Friday marked the third day in a row that US officials complained that Russian warplanes in the region had made reckless and harassing flights around US drones.
Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of the US Air Force Central Command, said in a statement that during Friday’s encounter, the Russian planes “performed 18 unprofessional close air passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations”.
The first friction occurred on Wednesday morning when Russian military jets “behaved recklessly and unprofessionally” as three US MQ-9 drones were conducting a mission against the Islamic State, and on Thursday, Russian fighter jets flew.” in an incredibly erratic and unprofessional manner” against French and US aircraft over Syria, the US military reported.
FUENTE: AP
