U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis addresses a news conference during a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 15, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
Reuters: U.S. still unsure who directed Syria attack, despite Russian dead
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is still unsure who directed a Feb. 7 attack on U.S. and U.S.-backed forces in Syria, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Saturday, even as he acknowledged accounts that Russian civilian contractors were involved.
Reuters has reported that about 300 men working for a Kremlin-linked Russian private military firm were either killed or injured in Syria.
The U.S. has estimated about 100 pro-Syrian government forces were killed by U.S. strikes to repel the Feb. 7 attack.
Russian military officers told the United States during the incident that Moscow was not involved. The Pentagon has declined to comment on the exact makeup of the attacking forces and Mattis appeared at a loss to explain the incident 10 days later.
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WNU Editor: Many believe that Russian President Putin green-lighted this attack .... but I am not sure of that. Russian President Putin is focused on winning the Presidential election in a few weeks .... so why launch a military attack with no air support on a U.S. military position in Syria that would probably fail (which it did). My guess is that it is someone in Syria .... probably one of the top officials who run the Russian contracting company in Syria .... who saw an opportunity along with the militias that were involved in this attack .... to take a chance without appreciating the consequences on what may happen. Also .... the U.S. has excellent intelligence in the region, and they are monitoring all communications. If the Russian military ordered this attack .... Defense Secretary Jim Mattis would not be talking in the manner that he is now .... instead it appears that he is more focused on what were the events and who were the people involved in this disaster .... in short .... he does not know. My prediction .... the U.S. will be finding out in the days and weeks to come on who ordered this .... I can only hope that they will tell us. As to what is happening on the Russian side .... the Kremlin does not want to talk about it .... The oil field carnage that Moscow doesn't want to talk about (Tim Lister, Mary Ilyushina and Sebastian Shukla, CNN). But while they are not talking about it publicly .... I am willing to bet that behind closed doors and in private there are a lot of angry people who do want to know what happen, and there is going to be an accounting for this.
More News On The U.S. Being Unsure On Who Ordered And Directed The Syrian Attack That Left Scores Of Russian Contractors Dead In Syria
Mattis: Unclear if Russia directed attack against U.S. allies in Syria -- Military Times
U.S. Vows Probe Into Syria Attack Involving Russians -- RFE
US Says Will Investigate Syria Attack Involving Russian Citizens -- Asharq Al-awsat
400 dead Russians and Syrians, yet no one knows who ordered them to attack US forces in Syria -- Middle East Monitor
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