Russian military awaits Pentagon’s comment on deadly US strike in Syria

MOSCOW—Moscow is awaiting comment from the US Department of Defense on its deadly airstrike that hit a village in Idlib, northern Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Friday.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Thursday the March 16 airstrike carried out in an al-Qaeda “meeting location” in Idlib killed several terrorists. Foreign-based observers claimed mostly civilians were killed in the attack in al-Jinah village.

“I think that in the near future we should expect relevant comments from our US colleagues. Tragic mistakes which can kill civilians happen in any war,” Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

The ministry spokesman noted that a photograph of an AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missile found at the site of the blast “left no chance for the international coalition to escape silently.”

“The tragic incident in the Syrian village of al-Jinah turned into a moment of truth for the well-functioning mechanism of the Western system of anti-Russian propaganda with the participation of mainstream media,” Konashenkov stressed.

The civil war in Syria has been lasting for around six years with government troops fighting against numerous opposition factions and terror organizations such as al-Nusra Front and Daesh, outlawed in Russia.