Russia warned us ahead of bombing run from Iran, US official says
American military spokesman says Moscow notified coalition before operation but provided 'not a lot' of time
WASHINGTON — Russian authorities notified the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria shortly before launching a bombing mission from Iran, a US military official said Tuesday.
The coalition has since last year operated a “memorandum of understanding” with Russia, whereby the two military forces notify each other of flights during their separate bombing campaigns to avoid accidents in the skies over Syria.
“The Russians did notify the coalition as per the memorandum of understanding for safety of flight,” US military spokesman Colonel Chris Garver said.
“They informed us they were coming through and we ensured safety of flight as those bombers passed through the area and toward their target and then when they passed out again. They did not impact coalition operations in either Iraq or Syria during the time.”
Earlier reports suggested Washington was surprised by Russia’s decision to operate from Iran, with US officials saying the setup was established very quickly, perhaps overnight. That raised questions about whether the move was a strategic necessity or a political message from the Kremlin to Washington.
One military official earlier said the Russians flew four Tu-22 Backfire bombers to the Iranian air base along with a Russian cargo plane loaded with the munitions for the bombers just hours before the missions.
Russia’s defense ministry on Tuesday said long-range bombers and fighter jets took off from the Hamedan base in western Iran and “conducted a group air strike against targets of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Idlib.”
IS fighters are concentrated only in Deir Ezzor and not Aleppo or Idlib, Garver noted.
Russia on Monday said it and the United States were close to joining forces in some form around Aleppo, but US officials have not confirmed this.
Garver said the Russians had provided “not a lot” of warning but that it “was enough time to make sure that we could ensure safety of flight.”
He did not comment when asked if Russia had sought overflight permission from the government of Iraq, whose airspace provides quickest access to Syria from Iran.
The United States and various coalition partners have been bombing IS in Iraq and Syria for two years, while Russia’s strikes have predominantly been in support of regime forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.