Russia Warns It May Retaliate Against U.S.-Backed Syria Fighters
- Russian special forces supporting Syrian troops, Moscow says
- Pentagon cites military meeting with Russians to avert clash
Fighters from the Islamist rebel faction al-Rahman Corps guard a look out point in Ain Tarma, Syria on Sept. 14, 2017.
Photographer: Abdulmonam Eassa/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Russia issued an unusually blunt warning to the U.S. that it will retaliate against American-backed fighters in Syria, accusing them of firing on government troops battling for territory in a strategic region bordering Iraq.
Russian special forces are fighting there alongside the Syrian soldiers, and any further attacks on them “will immediately meet with retaliation,” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Thursday. The ministry said Syrian troops twice came under massive mortar and artillery fire from positions held by America’s Kurdish allies.