U.S. warplane downs Syrian army jet in southern Raqqa province

[corbe]

U.S. warplane downs Syrian army jet in southern Raqqa province

Reuters
1 hr ago

AMMAN/WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - A U.S. warplane shot down a Syrian army jet on Sunday in the southern Raqqa countryside with Washington saying the jet had dropped bombs near U.S. backed forces and Damascus saying the plane was downed while flying a mission against Islamic State militants.

A Syrian army statement released on Syrian state television said the plane crashed and the pilot was missing. It said the incident took place on Sunday afternoon near a village called Rasafah.

The "flagrant attack was an attempt to undermine the efforts of the army as the only effective force capable with its allies ... in fighting terrorism across its territory," the Syrian army said.

"This comes at a time when the Syrian army and its allies were making clear advances in fighting the Daesh (Islamic State) terrorist group."

Later the U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying the Syrian plane was downed "in collective self-defense of Coalition-partnered forces," identified as fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Tabqah.

<..snip..>

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-warplane-downs-syrian-army-jet-in-southern-raqqa-province/ar-BBCQCxC?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=ientp

[bigheadfred]

We can't help ourselves and stay out of it.

[TomSea]

Russia's response:

"Russia's defense ministry said it has decided to suspend the use of a communication hotline with US forces aimed at preventing incidents in Syrian airspace."

http://www.naharnet.com/

Russia will target coalition jets in parts of Syria, defence ministry says

13:27, UK, Monday 19 June 2017

Russia says it will treat US-led coalition planes in Syria, west of the Euphrates, as targets.

The escalation comes after the US shot down a Syrian jet that had been dropping bombs near US-backed fighter jets.

In a statement, the defence ministry said that starting today it will track all jets and drones from the coalition in the area.

http://news.sky.com/story/russia-will-target-coalition-jets-in-parts-of-syria-defence-ministry-says-10920332

So, this is what Russia says in response, thought I'd just add it to this thread.

[bigheadfred]

There you go. Stupid.

[TomSea]

I don't know, IF they were dropping bombs on our troops; sorry, I say we had a reason to defend ourselves.

Just my opinion, I know some people would wonder what we are doing there in the first place.

As far as I'm concerned, Iraq and Syria is one big conflict, not two separate ones. And I doubt on how much their planes are hitting ISIS.

[Variant]

Pretty carefully worded response by Russia.  I'm sure everything is treated as a potential target already.

[txradioguy]

Russian officials on Monday threatened that their country would treat U.S.-led coalition planes in some parts of Syria as targets after the U.S. military shot down a Syrian Air Force jet on Sunday.

Russia's defense ministry said planes flying in Syria, west of the Euphrates River, would be considered targets.

The news came one day after the first time in history a U.S. jet shot down a Syrian plane – and the first time in nearly 20 years the U.S. has shot down any warplane in air-to-air combat.

The last time a U.S. jet had shot down another country’s aircraft came over Kosovo in 1999 when a U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle shot down a Serbian MiG-29.

On Sunday, it was a U.S. F-18 Super Hornet that shot down a Syrian SU-22 after that jet dropped bombs near U.S. partner forces taking on ISIS.

Russia's defense ministry also said Monday it was suspending coordination with the U.S. in Syria over so-called "de-confliction zones" after the downing of the Syrian jet.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06/19/us-shoot-down-syrian-jet-prompts-russian-threat.html

[txradioguy]

Why do I fell like I'm suddenly back in the Cold War when I read stuff like this?

[TomSea]

US Reacts Forcefully to Russian Threat to Treat US Planes in Syria as 'Targets'

WHITE HOUSE —

The United States has responded forcefully to Russia’s threat to treat U.S.-led coalition planes in the skies over Syria as targets, as tensions escalate in the 6-year Syrian conflict.

“We’re going to do what we can to protect our interests,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Monday, defending the decision to shoot down a Syrian SU-22 jet that had bombed coalition partnered forces near the Syrian town of Tabqah.

“The Syrian regime … needs to understand that we will keep the right of self-defense of coalition forces aligned against ISIS,” he said. The spokesman made clear, however, that the United States would continue to “work with partners” to counter the threat of the Islamic State in Syria.

...

“The Russian Federation has indicated that their purpose in Syria, like ours, is to defeat ISIS," Dunford told reporters. "And we’ll see if that’s true here in the coming hours, because all of our operations in and around Raqqa and southern Syria are designed specifically to get after ISIS.

“We have agreed in the past, that is we and the Russian Federation Pro-Regime Forces, that operations that the coalition were conducting in Syria were effectively degrading ISIS capability, and will work to restore that de-confliction chain in the next few hours,” Dunford said.

Continued: http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,268043.0.html

[Suppressed]

Geez, I just read that it was an Su-22. 

Those things are so old, I have to wonder whether it's one of the ones that flew in the Yom Kippur War back in 1973!

[bigheadfred]

I don't know, IF they were dropping bombs on our troops; sorry, I say we had a reason to defend ourselves.

Just my opinion, I know some people would wonder what we are doing there in the first place.

As far as I'm concerned, Iraq and Syria is one big conflict, not two separate ones. And I doubt on how much their planes are hitting ISIS.

As far as I can see our mission in Syria is against Iran.

[Suppressed]

I don't know, IF they were dropping bombs on our troops; sorry, I say we had a reason to defend ourselves.

It wasn't our troops.  The Syrian jet reportedly dropped ordnance near Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which we back.  Remember, they're allowed to shoot at the Syrian Government troops, but the Syrian Government can't shoot back, or we attack them.

(Tbh, though, the SDF is about the best of the rebel groups over there.)

[kevindavis007]

I have no problem with this..

[TomSea]

It wasn't our troops.  The Syrian jet reportedly dropped ordnance near Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which we back.  Remember, they're allowed to shoot at the Syrian Government troops, but the Syrian Government can't shoot back, or we attack them.

(Tbh, though, the SDF is about the best of the rebel groups over there.)

Correct; I saw that and figured no one would notice. You did. So, our guys, the SDF.

[bigheadfred]

Correct; I saw that and figured no one would notice. You did. So, our guys, the SDF.

Tom, the whole world noticed.

[TomSea]

And at the same time, we have miltary advisors with some of the forces we are backing, they could have been in there.  Just saying... especially near Raqqa.

Top US chief visits Syria ahead of Raqqa push
US special operations forces are training SDF fighters in Syria to combat IS group [AFP]
Date of publication: 22 May, 2016
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/5/22/top-us-chief-visits-syria-ahead-of-raqqa-push

There sure are a lot of resources out there on the net. Things to read.

[bigheadfred]

And at the same time, we have miltary advisors with some of the forces we are backing, they could have been in there.  Just saying... especially near Raqqa.
There sure are a lot of resources out there on the net. Things to read.

meh

If we have 'advisors' embedded at front line positions and they get killed, I count that as an acceptable loss. Ramping it up for this is stupid.