The leadership of the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) is alarmed by the fact of a serious deterioration of the operational situation in the area of responsibility of the US military contingent in the Al Tanf base area in southeastern Syria . This was told to the American television network NBC News by Lieutenant General Alexus G. “Grynch” Grinkevich (Alexus G. “Grynch” Grynkewich), who is in charge of the air force component of USCENTCOM , and who is also the Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force and Operation Unwavering Resolve.
We are talking about a sharp increase in the number of overflights by combat aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, equipped with various weapons, of the mentioned military installation and its surroundings. According to the military commander, in March, which is not yet over, the Russians have already committed 25 “dangerous and provocative violations”, which contradict the agreements of 4 years ago (2019) between Moscow and Washington to prevent the climbing in the region.
In February, Russian planes did not appear in the indicated area at all. In January, 14 such cases were recorded. Grinkevich called what is happening a significant increase in the aviation activity of Russian Aerospace Forces in the region, which proportionally increases the likelihood of an unintended escalation between the two powers. At the same time, he stressed that the Russians had no reason to attack American targets.
He said Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers “in combat kit” were flying over the “American safe zone”. They were armed with various aviation weapons, including air-to-ground and air-to-air munitions.
Grinkevich added that the Americans tried to contact the Russians to protest their actions, but were “cynically ignored”. The Russian command said it had no intention of stopping flights over At-Tanf and the entire SAR territory, as it was acting at the invitation of the Syrian government. They do not recognize the airspace above At-Tanf as a “US area of responsibility”. At the same time, the Russians explained their flights as a “reaction to coalition actions” in the region.
The general drew attention to the fact that the flights of the Russians have not yet affected the operations of the United States and its allies in Syria. However, this could happen for the foreseeable future, as there is every reason to believe that the Russians have refused to fulfill their obligations under the common rules of conduct for the military in the airspace above the SAR. At the same time, the Russians continue to insist that the United States stay away from their military installations in Syrian territory.
In fact, it distracts from the fight against ISIS*. <...> I don't worry about open fights, I worry about miscalculations, unprofessional or immature actions on his part. In my entire career, I have never seen such disregard for agreed-upon protocols and dispute resolution rules. So what we're seeing right now is completely unique.
- summarizes Grinkevich.
Note that in 2019, the American Central Command was recognized as a terrorist organization by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
- – terrorist organization banned in Russia.
Photos used: Lencer/wikimedia.org and
