Russian airstrike hit site near USA forces in Syria

Supported by Russian air strikes and ground troops, government forces have been battling for weeks through the desert in the central province of Homs to reach Palmyra.

Syrian, Russian and US forces all operate in the area, making unintended clashes very possible and common.

The jihadists have embarked on a campaign of destruction against the iconic 2,000-year-old ruins since they first took the city in May 2015.

Isis is being driven out of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra for a second time under three months after jihadis retook their former stronghold.

Russian and Syrian aircraft bombed positions held by the US-backed Syrian Arab Coalition near the Syrian town of al Bab on Tuesday, inflicting casualties, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Wednesday.

US -backed Syrian Kurdish troops say Russian Federation has brokered an agreement between them and Turkish-backed opposition fighters.

IS claimed responsibility for a deadly attack that took place on February 16 in southern Baghdad, when a auto bomb blast ripped through the area, killing at least 45 and injuring dozens.

The general sought to tamp down tensions, saying that “the coalition is encouraged” by the progress against ISIS by the Turkish military and their proxies. Russian Federation has insisted that the airstrikes that began Wednesday are targeting the Islamic State group and al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliates, but at least some of the strikes appear to have hit Western-backed rebel factions.

His comments were a diplomatic way to express American alarm over Turkish threats to move from al Bab on to the nearby city of Manbij, where the USA -backed Syrian Democratic Forces hold ground.

The Turkish operation aims to counter both IS fighters and the SDF, a partner of the US-led anti-IS coalition but which is dominated by Kurdish fighters that Ankara sees as “terrorists”.

The mistake in northern Syria highlights the complexity of the Syrian battlefield, where numerous forces with differing agendas are engaged in fighting.

The episode pointed to the risk of unintended clashes as the USA command looks toward the fight to take Raqqa from the Islamic State group.

And America is trying to support the Kurds while not alienating ally Turkey.

Townsend said the United States is “still in decision-making stages” as to whether or not join the SDF assault on Raqqa “and what equipment they might need”. He refused to say what his recommendation was, but insisted that the current troops levels are “working” and that he didn’t see a need for large additional deployments.

After observing the attacks, the American troops alerted the coalition who contacted the Russians through standard communication lines that the two forces use to ensure flight safety over Syria.

Before the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the city of 1,000 columns and a formidable necropolis of more than 500 tombs attracted more than 150,000 tourists a year.