The U.S. Air Force bombed Syrian Arab Army's positions near the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, killing at least 62 soldiers and "paving the way" for Islamic State group’s militants, Russian Defense Ministry reported.
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"Today 62 soldiers were killed and over 100 injured in the airstrike by the US-led coalition," Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said citing information received by Syrian military deployed in the region.
Konashenkov stressed that right after the attack, “terrorists” launched an offensive against Syrian troops. He added that aircraft entered to Syrian airspace via Iraq.
“If the airstrike was caused by the wrong coordinates of targets than it’s a direct consequence of the stubborn unwillingness of the American side to coordinate with Russia in its actions against terrorist groups in Syria,” Konashenkov added.
Sputnik reports that the Syrian Army considers the attack a “serious and blatant aggression” that provides "conclusive evidence" that the U.S. and its allies support the Islamic State group.
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This would be the second time during this war that the United States has attacked the Syrian army in the Deir Ezzor, a fact that Syrian army said has facilitated the advancement of the extremists militias.
Russia also denounced earlier on Saturday Washington's refusal to take measures to force rebels under its control to fall in line with the terms of the Syrian cease-fire.