US Air Force down Syrian military jet following clashes
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The US air force has engaged and destroyed a Syrian government SU-22 following a prolonged exchange of fire between US-backed rebels and the Syrian Arab Army.
US Military forces shot down a Syrian fighter jet on Sunday, near Tabqa, northern Syria, following further clashes between government and rebels in Syria’s ongoing civil war.
The Syrian SU-22 fighter bomber is believed to have been downed by a USAF F-18 Super Hornet after firing upon rebel units affiliated with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
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“The Coalition does not seek to fight (the) Syrian regime, Russia or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend Coalition or partner forces from any threat,” claimed the Pentagon, in a statement issued after the incident.
US Coalition headquarters in Iraq also issued a statement claiming they had acted in “collective self defense”. US sources appear unanimous that the action came in response to the Syrian forces firing on SDF troops in the town of Ja’Din, itself south of Tabqa, inflicting casualties and forcing the SDF to retreat.
US commanders on the ground are believed to have responded with a show of air power, allegedly also contacting their Russian counterparts as a means to “de-escalate the situation and stop the firing”. The single SU-22 is then believed to have carried out an attempted air strike. The incident marks the first time US forces have directly engaged manned Syrian aircraft in combat.
On June 8th American forces are also believed to have shot down a drone allegedly under the control of forces loyal to the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been fighting in the Syrian civil war since they entered the conflict in 2015 in an attempt to prevent the overthrow of President Bashar Al-Assad.
The above incidents also mark an escalation of direct American involvement in the conflict. Last April, US Nnavy assets launched multiple cruise missiles against the Shayrat airbase, Homs, following claims that Syrian government forces had deployed chemical weapons against the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikoun.
Both Moscow and Damascus deny any such attack, maintaining that Syria divested itself of chemical weapons following international pressure in 2013. Over four hundred thousand people are believed to have been killed in Syria’s six-year civil war following the 2011 outbreak of protests and armed confrontations against the rule of reigning President Bashar Al-Assad.
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