25/01/2020

Pentagon Spokesman: no US-Russian Incident. US Military keeps Positions in Syria

Reiterating his country’s stance that American military personnel will hold their positions in Syria, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman continued to say that “we are keen to keep the contact with the Russians going” to avoid any clashed between the two powers in Syria.

The spokesman expressed concern that potential severed contact lines with their Russian counterparts can lead to incidents.

In an interview with Russian news agency Novosti, spokesperson Hoffman spoke about reports of an exchange of fire between Russian and American soldiers in Syria, and that it was the US which would have drawn countries and other forces present in the region towards the positions of the American forces. He said that he does not have any record or information about any exchange of fire, saying: “All I can say is that we are where we are, and they know where we are.”

He added that the American Military uses conflict prevention channels to prevent any misunderstanding or an accidental clash.

In turn, the deputy commander of the operations of the international coalition against ISIS, the Special Operation Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, stated that the contacts between commanders of the American and Russian military in Syria take place weekly.