Official: Russia ‘deliberately targeting’ US-backed forces in Syria

Posted 2015-10-14 17:21 by Grunt Report

Moscow is “deliberately targeting” U.S.-backed forces in Syria as part of a military campaign that has killed up to 150 U.S.-trained rebels, a U.S. official told Fox News.

The claim comes as the U.S. and Russian militaries try to reach an agreement about flight safety in the skies over Syria. Officials from both countries are holding their third videoconference on the issue Wednesday, as U.S.-led coalition and Russian aircraft look to avoid collisions as they launch airstrikes into Syria.

But even as they try to “de-conflict,” evidence is mounting that Russia’s air campaign is targeting more than just the Islamic State.

“Putin is deliberately targeting our forces,” a U.S. official, who is disappointed in the U.S. response to Russia, told Fox News.

“Our guys are fighting for their lives,” said the official, estimating up to 150 CIA-trained moderate rebels have been killed by the Russians.

The Obama administration recently ended its troubled program to train select Syrian rebels, but has continued to equip the opposition. Over the weekend, the U.S. military airdropped 50 tons of small arms ammo and grenades in northern Syria.