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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Aussie warbirds were part of errant Syrian air attack | |
| 2016-09-19 | |
Australia has said its warplanes took part in US-led airstrikes in eastern Syria that mistakenly killed Syrian army troops in an incident threatening to wreck an already tenuous ceasefire before it is a week old.
The first airstrikes on Aleppo since the ceasefire began on Monday evening were reported on Sunday. An Australian defence department statement said its jets had targeted what had been thought to be Islamic State (Isis) fighters. “Overnight, coalition aircraft were conducting airstrikes in eastern Syria against what was believed to be a Daesh [Isis] fighting position that the coalition had been tracking for some time,” the statement said. “However, shortly after the bombing commenced, Russian officials advised the Combined Air Operations Centre that the targets may have been Syrian military personnel.” “While Syria remains a dynamic and complex operating environment, Australia would never intentionally target a known Syrian military unit or actively support Daesh,” the statement said, offering condolences to the families of the dead and pledging to cooperate with a US inquiry. Someone must answer for this! Send for Lieutenants Morant and Handcock immediately. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |