US Army chief: No doubt Russia responsible for aid convoy hit

22 September 2016, 6:22 pm

Edit

The top US military officer tells a Senate committee he has no doubt that Russia is responsible for the airstrike on a humanitarian aid convoy in Syria, calling it an unacceptable atrocity.

US Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says both Russian and Syrian aircraft were in the area at the time of the strike.

Aid is seen strewn across the ground in the town of Orum al-Kubra on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on September 20, 2016, the morning after a convoy delivering aid was hit by a deadly air strike. (AFP PHOTO / Omar Haj Kadour) — Aid is seen strewn across the ground in the town of Orum al-Kubra on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on September 20, 2016, the morning after a convoy delivering aid was hit by a deadly air strike. (AFP/Omar Haj Kadour)

He tells the Senate Armed Services Committee that he’s not certain which aircraft dropped the bombs, killing 20 civilians.

A senior US official said yesterday that the US has a very high degree of confidence that the attack was carried out by a Russian-piloted aircraft. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke anonymously.

— AP