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[shinobi602]

U.S.-led coalition airstrikes struck a Syrian Arab Army military compound in the province of Dier al Zor on Monday morning, killing a reported four soldiers and injuring 16 others, Reuters reports.

The news was originally announced by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who reported that the airstrike hit the Saeqa military camp near the western town of Ayyash. Syria’s foreign ministry later confirmed that Western coalition forces fired nine missiles at the camp.

"Syria strongly condemns the act of aggression by the US-led coalition that contradicts the UN Charter on goals and principles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent letters to the UN Secretary General and the UN Security Council,” the foreign ministry told SANA.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/ne...-Syrian-Military-Personnel-20151207-0004.html

United States denies:

The US has denied the claim, saying the alliance carried out four air strikes against oil wells in the province - all of them miles away from the alleged location of the incident.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the Syrian conflict through a network of activists on the ground, also reported the air strikes and gave a death toll similar to the Syrian government. According to the Observatory, in Syria's overcrowded skies, the aircraft behind the incident in Deir el-Zour are "believed" to belong to the anti-IS coalition.

The planes hit the camp known as "Sa'iqa," the Observatory said, though it gave a slightly different account for its location, saying the camp is near the village of Ayyash in the western countryside of Deir el-Zour.

If confirmed, the air strikes would mark the first time coalition forces fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq have attacked Syrian government forces. In a letter sent to the United Nations and published in Syrian state media on Monday, the government in Damascus said four aircraft belonging to the US-led coalition targeted the army camp in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour on Sunday night.

In addition to the casualties, it said the attack destroyed armoured and other vehicles and a weapons and ammunition depot. The city, in the province also called Deir el-Zour, is mainly in the hands of the Islamic State but the Syrian government still holds some parts of it.

"This hampers efforts to combat terrorism and proves once again that this coalition lacks seriousness and credibility to effectively fight terrorism," the Syrian letter said.

The US-led Combined Joint Task Force coordinating coalition activities against the Islamic State group said in a statement that the alliance carried out four air strikes solely against the wells in Deir el-Zour province, all of them some 34 miles south-east of Ayyash.

"We did not strike any vehicles or personnel targets in this area. We have no indication any Syrian soldiers were even near our strikes," the statement said, adding that it takes allegations of potential collateral damage seriously and investigates them.

Lieutenant Colonel Kristi Beckman, director of public affairs at the Combined Air Operations Centre at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, said there was no indication that the coalition had killed Syrian troops.

"We're aware of the incident, however at this time we don't have any indication our strikes killed Syrian soldiers," she told The Associated Press.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...tion-denies-hitting-syrian-army-34265268.html

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Jihadists on twitter were loving this last night. Saw some analysts RT them.

 

[saelz8]

Not surprised. I figured they would start doing this sooner or later, then just deny it. Similar to what Russia does.

Or another, more likely, scenario was that it was just a straight mistake. Who knows.

 

[PeskyToaster]

Is that Syrian Observatory thing the one we shouldn't believe or was that something else. I thought it was just some random dude.

 

[OverBlood 3]

Here we go...fuck sake.

 

[Condom]

Is that Syrian Observatory thing the one we shouldn't believe or was that something else. I thought it was just some random dude.

Just a random dude lol

 

[andycapps]

Going to wait until we see if this is even true or not. Don't believe Syrian Government or the dude in England.

 

[NH Apache]

Usually our issue is not that the missles didn't hit where we thought, but that where they hit was an enemy asset. If we say that the strike was miles away from the other location, I would tend to believe that for now until we can get some other source.

 

[phaonaut]

Just a random dude lol

That wiki entry makes SOHR seem suspect.

 

[PeskyToaster]

Just a random dude lol

Aren't we all just random dudes dudein' in the dudeverse?


From reading that article he doesn't sound like the best source to use for anything. No credentials, no verification of sources, and questioned by more legitimate organizations and Russia.

 

[King Tubby]

If coalition forces are seriously bombing the Syrian Army I have no words.

 

[Jackpot]

Just a random dude lol

isn't it?

The United Kingdom-based SOHR is run out of a two-bedroom terraced home in Coventry by one person, Rami Abdulrahman,[3] a Syrian Sunni Muslim who also runs a clothes shop. After being imprisoned three times in Syria, Abdulrahman fled to the United Kingdom fearing a fourth jail term.[1] The New York Times in April 2013 described him being on the phone all day every day with contacts in Syria, and checking all information himself.[3] Born Osama Suleiman, he adopted a pseudonym during his years of activism in Syria, and has used it publicly ever since.

The wiki page mentions criticisms but not successes. Are many of his statements independently validated?

 

[gutter_trash]

US doing Saudi Arabia's dirty work.

the Saudi Princes are really pulling them US strings

 

[CHEEZMO™]

The Coalition isn't in the habit of providing CAS to the SAA so it's likely to be the fault of Russia, who I believe have been involved in friendly fire on Assad + Co's forces before. The fact the RuAF has been making heavy use of unguided bombs would go some way to explain it too.

 

[commedieu]

Going to wait until we see if this is even true or not. Don't believe Syrian Government or the dude in England.

The problem now, is who do we believe?

They are like a bunch of fucking children, finger pointing. I'd like to see definitive documentation. And then, I'll... continue posting on gaf.. I guess.