President Assad accuses US of deliberately airstrike on Syrian army

Mr. Bashar Assad said that the US deliberately carried out continuous airstrikes for an hour, killing 62 Syrian soldiers.

President Assad gives an interview to AP in Damascus. Photo: AP

“It was not an accident of one plane, but four planes continuously attacked the positions of the Syrian army for almost an hour or a little more than an hour,” Mr. Assad told the Associated Press on September 21. He added that the planes attacked a large area “including many hills” adjacent to the Syrian army’s position.

On September 17, the US carried out an airstrike near Deir Ezzor, killing 62 Syrian soldiers and injuring more than 100. The Pentagon said it was an accident and that they intended to strike the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

Mr Assad also questioned why IS attacked so soon after the US airstrike. "How did they know that the US would attack that position to gather the rebels immediately and attack it an hour after the airstrike. It was definitely intentional, not accidental," he added.

The Syrian President also said that the US "lacks the will" to work with Russia to destroy extremist groups.

According to VNE