President Bashar al-Assad' s forces attacked Syrian Democratic Forces just south of Tabqah on Sun. afternoon, U. S. officials said
A U. S. aircraft on Sunday shot down a Syrian government fighter jet over northern Syria after it dropped bombs near U. S.-backed fighters, the Pentagon said.
The U. S. military said in a statement that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces attacked the Syrian Democratic Forces in a town just outside of Raqqa on Sunday afternoon. U. S. officials used a « de-confliction channel » to contact the Syrian government in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
Despite those efforts, a Syrian regime SU-22 dropped bombs near the U. S.-backed fighters at 6: 43 p.m. and was immediately shot down by a U. S. F/A-18E Super Hornet, the Pentagon said in a statement. It was shot down « in accordance with rules of engagement and in collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces. »
Earlier Sunday, the Syrian army said the U. S.-led coalition shot down one of its aircraft during a combat mission against militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) .
« The Coalition’s mission is to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, » the 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. »
The U. S.-led coalition called on all parties in Syria’s conflict to « focus their efforts on the defeat of ISIS, which is our common enemy and the greatest threat to regional and worldwide peace and security. »
