US downs pro-Syrian drone that fired at coalition forces

[TomSea]

US downs pro-Syrian drone that fired at coalition forces


A US coalition spokesman said the concern is that such strikes could take away attention from the fight against IS militants
Syrian Democratic Forces unload boxes of ammunition in a village north of Raqqa on 7 June (AFP)
Reuters
Thursday 8 June 2017 18:48 UTC

The United States shot down a pro-Syrian government drone that fired toward US-led coalition forces in Syria on Thursday, a US military spokesman said, in a major escalation of tensions between Washington and troops supporting Damascus.

The armed drone "hit dirt" and there were no injuries or damage done to the coalition patrol in southern Syria. But US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group, said the drone meant to attack the patrol and dismissed the possibility it had fired a warning shot.

"This clearly showed a threat even if it were a warning shot; it was something that showed a hostile intent, a hostile action and posed a threat to our forces because this drone still had munitions that were still on it," Dillon said.

Continued: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-downs-pro-syrian-drone-fired-coalition-forces-1042832328