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Washington: US drone strike killed Islamic country The group’s leader is in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drone was harassed by Russian military aircraft over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department.
A US defense official said three Reapers were circling overhead searching for the gunman on Friday when they were harassed by Russian jets for about two hours. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drones struck shortly thereafter, killing Osama al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo area. The official said that al-Muhajir was in northwestern Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually worked in the east.
It was not clear how the US military confirmed that the dead man was al-Muhajir. US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday that there were no indications that civilians had been killed. The military was assessing reports of possible civilian casualties.
Friday was the third day in a row that US officials have complained about Russian fighter jets in the region making unsafe flights and harassing US drones. US officials said the drones had been unarmed on previous flights but carried weapons on Friday during the hunt for the immigrant.
rear brig. Oleg GorinovThe head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria said last week that the Russian and Syrian armies have started joint exercises for a period of six days, which will end on Monday. Gorinov added, in statements reported by Syrian media, that Moscow is concerned about the flight of drones of the US-led coalition over northern Syria, describing them as “systematic violations of protocols” aimed at avoiding clashes between the two armies.
A US defense official said three Reapers were circling overhead searching for the gunman on Friday when they were harassed by Russian jets for about two hours. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drones struck shortly thereafter, killing Osama al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo area. The official said that al-Muhajir was in northwestern Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually worked in the east.
It was not clear how the US military confirmed that the dead man was al-Muhajir. US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday that there were no indications that civilians had been killed. The military was assessing reports of possible civilian casualties.
Friday was the third day in a row that US officials have complained about Russian fighter jets in the region making unsafe flights and harassing US drones. US officials said the drones had been unarmed on previous flights but carried weapons on Friday during the hunt for the immigrant.
rear brig. Oleg GorinovThe head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria said last week that the Russian and Syrian armies have started joint exercises for a period of six days, which will end on Monday. Gorinov added, in statements reported by Syrian media, that Moscow is concerned about the flight of drones of the US-led coalition over northern Syria, describing them as “systematic violations of protocols” aimed at avoiding clashes between the two armies.
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