Unexpected US losses after Syria attack
After the lightning attack on Syria in the early morning of April 14, the US and its allies suffered an "unexpected loss": accidentally exposing advanced weapons models to Russia, according to Charles Shoebridge, a security analyst who served in the British army.
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| Russia displayed images of missile fragments captured in Syria after the coalition airstrike campaign in the early morning of April 14. Photo: Reuters |
Mr. Shoebridge commented that the Russian Ministry of Defense's recent display of missile debris, fired by the coalition into Syria nearly 2 weeks ago, will "cause great concern for the US, UK and France."
Russia Today reported that on April 25, the Russian Defense Ministry held a press conference to announce assessments of the effectiveness of the coalition missiles used to attack three targets on Syrian territory in the early morning of April 14.
According to Russian authorities, evidence collected on the ground, including missile fragments, deep craters created by missile warheads and the level of damage recorded at the targets, shows that only 25 coalition missiles hit their targets. That means the US claim that 105 Western missiles all hit targets in Syria is false.
The Russian Defense Ministry asserted that Syrian air defense systems intercepted most of the coalition missiles. In addition, Russia also captured two Western missiles in Syria, including a US Tomahawk cruise missile, almost intact. The Russian military said it would study both weapons to further improve its air defense capabilities.
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The Russian Defense Ministry put on display debris from a US Tomahawk cruise missile. Photo: RT |
Shoebridge described the US-led air campaign in Syria as a “serious risk” for the coalition, saying the strikes “have little tangible benefit on the ground, as the targets are civilian or mostly unoccupied, and the Russians have some technical details about the weapons systems the three powers have offered them.”
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Warhead of a Tomahawk cruise missile captured in Syria. Photo: RT |
Mr. Shoebridge also pointed out that Washington's claim of 100% accuracy in the air campaign is likely unrealistic. "With such a large number of weapons launched and so much anti-aircraft fire in response to them, you would expect at least a small fraction of them to miss their targets," Mr. Shoebridge explained.
The former British army officer added that missile fragments captured in Syria could suggest that some of the coalition missiles had malfunctioned, been shot down or simply landed in the wrong place.
According to Mr. Shoebridge, the Russian military's claim that no traces of chemical weapons were found at the Syrian targets attacked was "consistent with what was reported by media outside the US, UK and France." Mr. Shoebridge added that even a day after the airstrikes, when buildings in Syria were still burning and smoke was thick, crowds of reporters gathered around the scene without any protective gear.
