US airstrikes Syrian government forces by mistake, UN holds emergency meeting

The United Nations will hold an emergency meeting on September 18 on the situation in Syria at Russia's request following the US airstrike on the Syrian army.

The UN emergency meeting shows the escalating tension in relations between Russia and the US as well as the coordination between the two countries in the fight against terrorist groups in Syria.

AFP news agency quoted a diplomatic source as saying that Russia has proposed holding this urgent meeting, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. on September 18 (6:30 a.m. on September 19, Hanoi time).

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed concern that the US-led coalition's airstrikes directly targeted the Syrian army, which is fighting the Islamic State (IS) group. Ms. Zakharova said Russia demanded that the US provide a full and detailed explanation to the UN Security Council.

Russia said two US F-16s and two A-10s carried out airstrikes on Syrian government forces. (Photo: US Air Force).

Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense admitted that the US-led coalition fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group in Syria may have conducted an airstrike targeting Syrian army positions.

The US military also announced it had halted airstrikes near Deir al-Zor, Syria, after Russian officials said the US-led coalition airstrikes may have targeted Syrian military areas.

Syrian state media reported that at around 5:00 p.m. (local time) on September 17, the US-led coalition carried out an airstrike on a Syrian army position in the Jebel Tharda area, near Deir al-Zor airport in the east of the country.

According to the Syrian military, the airstrikes killed many Syrian soldiers. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 62 Syrian soldiers were killed and 100 others were injured in the airstrikes.

According to Russia, the airstrikes were carried out by two F-16 aircraft and two A-10 aircraft, departing from the Syria-Iraq border. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that these aircraft came from the US-led international coalition, but did not specify which country they belonged to.

“We believe that this event, which caused many casualties, was caused by the lack of understanding of the situation and the unwillingness of the US side to cooperate in the fight against terrorist groups on the territory of Syria,” said Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said US airstrikes killed at least 30 soldiers.

The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, said airstrikes near Deir al-Zor airport killed between 30 and 35 Syrian army soldiers, but the group could not determine which warplanes carried out the attacks.

The statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry shows the escalating tension in the relationship between Russia and the US. The relationship between Russia and the US on the issue of Syria has been in a state of chaos for a long time. Russia firmly supports the current government of President Bashar al-Assad.

According to Russia, this is the most feasible way to maintain stability in Syria in the fight against terrorism, preventing Syria from becoming a "stronghold" for terrorists.

In contrast, the US has consistently called on Bashar al-Assad to step down and hand over power to the “moderate” opposition. To defend this view, the US has funded and protected dozens of rebel groups.

Previously, the ceasefire in Syria, arranged by Russia and the US, took effect on September 12. However, the US "mistakenly" airstrike on Syrian government forces could threaten this ceasefire agreement arranged by Russia and the US./.

According to VNE