(Washington) Russian fighter jets harassed American drones carrying out a mission in Syrian airspace against jihadists, an American commander said on Wednesday.
“As three American MQ-9 drones were carrying out a mission against IS targets, three Russian fighter jets began harassing the drones,” US Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said in a statement.
Russian fighters dropped distress flares in front of the American drones, forcing them to avoid them, and a Russian pilot used his afterburner in front of one of the MQ-9s, “reducing the operator’s ability to fly the aircraft from safe way,” the lieutenant general continued.
“These events constitute a new example of unprofessional and dangerous actions by the Russian air force operating in Syria, which threatens the security of both American and Russian forces”, declared Alexus Grynkewich, calling on Moscow to “put an end to this irresponsible behavior”.
Russian fighters had already interacted in March with a Reaper MQ-9 in the Black Sea, the American drone having crashed at sea after their maneuvers. The incident had caused new tensions between Washington and Moscow.