A U.S. strike aircraft shot down a Syrian government fighter jet Sunday shortly after the Syrians bombed U.S.-backed fighters in northern Syria, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The Pentagon said the downing of the aircraft came hours after Syrian loyalist forces attacked U.S.-backed fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the village of Ja'Din, southwest of Raqqa. The rare attack was the first time a U.S. jet has shot down a manned hostile aircraft in more than a decade, and signaled the United States' sharply intensifying role in Syria's war.
The incident is the fourth time within a month that the U.S. military has attacked pro-Syrian government forces.
"The attack stresses coordination between the US and ISIS, and it reveals the evil intentions of the US in administrating terrorism and investing it to pass the US-Zionist project in the region," the Syrian statement said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.
U.S.-led jets stopped the fighting by flying close to the ground and at a low speed in what is called a "show of force," the Pentagon said.
After the hailing attempts, a U.S. F/A-18 shot down the Syrian aircraft "in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of coalition partnered forces," the Pentagon said.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of predominantly Arab and Kurdish fighters, is a key proxy force for the U.S.-led coalition in Syria. The fighters were instrumental in retaking towns and villages from the Islamic State in recent months and are fighting to retake the extremist group's de-facto capital of Raqqa.
The missile attacks had targeted a militant command center and other facilities in Deir El-Zour, a contested region in eastern Syria, where the United States, Iran, and other powers and proxy forces are fighting for control. The strikes had killed "a large number" of militants and destroyed equipment and weapons, the statement said.
Tanf is a key town on the Iraq-Syrian border that has been home to a U.S. Special Operations training outpost for months.
"The coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria," the Pentagon's statement said. "The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Pentagon said the downing of the aircraft came hours after Syrian loyalist forces attacked U.S.-backed fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, in the village of Ja'Din, southwest of Raqqa. The rare attack was the first time a U.S. jet has shot down a manned hostile aircraft in more than a decade, and signaled the United States' sharply intensifying role in Syria's war.
The incident is the fourth time within a month that the U.S. military has attacked pro-Syrian government forces.
"The attack stresses coordination between the US and ISIS, and it reveals the evil intentions of the US in administrating terrorism and investing it to pass the US-Zionist project in the region," the Syrian statement said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.
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U.S.-led jets stopped the fighting by flying close to the ground and at a low speed in what is called a "show of force," the Pentagon said.
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After the hailing attempts, a U.S. F/A-18 shot down the Syrian aircraft "in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of coalition partnered forces," the Pentagon said.
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The Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of predominantly Arab and Kurdish fighters, is a key proxy force for the U.S.-led coalition in Syria. The fighters were instrumental in retaking towns and villages from the Islamic State in recent months and are fighting to retake the extremist group's de-facto capital of Raqqa.
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The missile attacks had targeted a militant command center and other facilities in Deir El-Zour, a contested region in eastern Syria, where the United States, Iran, and other powers and proxy forces are fighting for control. The strikes had killed "a large number" of militants and destroyed equipment and weapons, the statement said.
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Tanf is a key town on the Iraq-Syrian border that has been home to a U.S. Special Operations training outpost for months.
"The coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria," the Pentagon's statement said. "The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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