In a successful military operation, a U.S. drone strike in Syria resulted in the killing of a prominent leader of the Islamic State (IS) group, as per a statement released by the U.S. Central Command on July 9. The Defense Department stated that there were no indications of civilian casualties in the strike.
The MQ-9 Reaper drones responsible for the attack had earlier encountered harassment by Russian military jets over the western part of Syria. A U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that the three Reaper drones were conducting a search for the militant when they faced harassment from Russian aircraft for approximately two hours. Shortly after the incident, the drones successfully targeted and eliminated Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region. The official added that al-Muhajir was usually active in the east but was present in northwest Syria at the time of the strike.
While specific details regarding the confirmation of al-Muhajir's identity were not immediately provided, the U.S. military assured that no civilians were believed to have been killed in the strike. However, reports of a possible civilian injury are currently being assessed.
July 7 marked the third consecutive day in which Russian fighter jets engaged in unsafe and harassing flights around American drones in the region. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, denounced the Russian aircraft's behavior, stating that they conducted 18 unprofessional close passes that forced the MQ-9 drones to take evasive action to avoid potential risks.
The initial encounter between Russian and American aircraft occurred on July 5 when Russian military planes displayed unsafe and unprofessional behavior while three American MQ-9 drones were conducting an anti-IS mission. The following day, Russian fighter jets once again exhibited unsafe and unprofessional conduct towards French and U.S. aircraft over Syria, causing concern among U.S. military officials.
Col. Michael Andrews, the spokesperson for Air Forces Central Command, described the incident, which lasted nearly an hour, involving close fly-bys by one SU-34 and one SU-35 fighter jet. He further noted that flares were deployed directly toward the MQ-9 drones.
U.S. officials clarified that the drones were unarmed during the earlier flights but were carrying weapons on July 7 as they targeted al-Muhajir. General Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, emphasized the commitment to defeating IS in the region.
"We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla.
Meanwhile, Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, reported that Russian and Syrian militaries had commenced a six-day joint training exercise set to conclude on July 10. Gurinov expressed concern about the flights of drones conducted by the U.S.-led coalition over northern Syria, describing them as "systematic violations of protocols" designed to prevent clashes between the two militaries.
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