MOSCOW — Moscow is accusing the US of reducing air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq to let jihadists into Syria and fight the Russian-backed Syrian army, claims the Pentagon is denying.
Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov says the Syrian regime was attempting to push the jihadists out of eastern Deir Ezzor province, but that arrivals from Iraq are boosting their numbers.
“The continuing arrival of terrorists from Iraq raises serious questions about the anti-terrorist objectives of the US air force and the so-called ‘international coalition,'” he says.
Illustrative: Smoke rises after an airstrike by US-led coalition warplanes against Islamic State positions in western Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, February 25, 2017. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning flatly denies the Russian claims and points to online tallies that show no let up in the bombardment of IS targets in Iraq or Syria.
“That’s absolutely false,” Manning says. “We remain committed to killing ISIS and denying them safe havens and the ability to carry out strikes in the region or globally.”
–AFP
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