Russian warplanes have harassed US drones in Syrian airspace against jihadists, a US commander said on Wednesday.
“Three American MQ-9 drones were conducting a mission against ISIS targets when three Russian fighter jets began harassing the drones,” U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Krinkevich said in a statement.
Russian fighters threw ill-fated flares in front of American drones, forcing the latter to avoid them, and a Russian pilot used his back burner in front of one of the MQ-9s, “reducing the operator’s ability to fly the aircraft in a safe manner,” the lieutenant general continued.
“These events are a new example of the unprofessional and dangerous actions of the Russian Air Force operating in Syria, which poses a threat to the security of American and Russian forces,” said Alexus Grinkevich, calling on Moscow to “put an end to this reckless behavior.” .
AFP
Russian fighters already made contact with a Reaper MQ-9 over the Black Sea in March, when the American drone crashed into the sea after their maneuvers. The incident sparked new tensions between Washington and Moscow.
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