. 24/7 Space News .
SUPERPOWERS
Pentagon praises 'very helpful' Russia in southern Syria
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) June 9, 2017


The Pentagon credited Russia on Friday for helping calm tensions in southern Syria after a US jet shot down a pro-regime combat drone that had fired at coalition forces.

In the first incident of its type, the pro-regime drone on Thursday fired what turned out to be a dud bomb at US-led coalition forces close to the coalition's At-Tanaf garrison near the Jordanian border.

The Pentagon has not said who was operating the drone or where it came from, but the At-Tanaf area has seen a surge in activity of Iran-backed troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Iran makes an armed drone similar in description to the one shot down.

Russia is fighting for Assad and has considerable sway over the various forces on the battlefield.

Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said any escalation in hostilities between the coalition and the pro-regime forces had been avoided thanks mainly to Russia's influence.

"Russia has been very helpful and I think that the calm we see today is largely due to their efforts," Davis said.

"They are trying to get the other parties, the pro-regime, the Iranian-backed militias to do the right thing and to prevent them from taking actions that are destabilizing."

It was an unusual statement for the Pentagon, which in the past has roundly criticized Russian operations in Syria.

The Russian and US militaries have set up a special hotline to communicate about troop and plane movements over a crowded battle space, and the two sides regularly talk to avoid mishaps and ensure they are not operating in each others' space.

Davis said there had been multiple military contacts over the At-Tanaf situation, both on the hotline and at "senior military levels."

The Russians "have helped to pass messages and calm the situation there, and we hope that continues," he said.

Tensions around the At-Tanaf garrison, where US and British commandos train local forces fighting the Islamic State group, have surged as pro-regime troops look to expand their influence.

Apart from the drone shootdown, the US has in recent weeks conducted three strikes against pro-regime forces it deemed to be threatening At-Tanaf.

But Davis said the coalition's single goal was defeating IS and it sought to avoid getting drawn into the broader Syria conflict.

"We are only going to take action if we see things that they are doing that threaten us," he said.

"Our only role there is to fight ISIS and that's what we are doing."

SUPERPOWERS
Qatar crisis has 'no impact' on US military operations: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) June 6, 2017
A Saudi-led move to isolate Qatar has had "no impact" on US military operations in the emirate, nor is any expected, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. The US has a regional command center at Al-Udeid air base near Doha from which it runs air operations throughout the region. "There has been no impact on our operations either in Qatar or with regards to airspace permission around it and ... read more

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SUPERPOWERS
Roscosmos Says Cooperation With NASA Unaffected by 'Political Outbursts'

Russia's New 'Federation' Spacecraft to be Launched from Baikonur in 2022

Will Space Exploration lead us to a Global Space Agency

Russia on the Way to Adopt New Program on Development of Space Centers

SUPERPOWERS
Russian rocket returns to service with launch of US satellite

Ariane 5 launches its heaviest telecom payload

SpaceX blasts off cargo using recycled spaceship

Ariane 5 launches its first all-electric satellite

SUPERPOWERS
Curiosity Peels Back Layers on Ancient Martian Lake

Student-Made Mars Rover Concepts Lift Off

Illinois Company Among Hundreds Supporting NASA Mission to Mars

Halos discovered on Mars widen time frame for potential life

SUPERPOWERS
Spotlight: First China-designed experiment flies to space station

China's 1st astronaut details projects for orbital station, manned lunar visit

News Analysis: U.S.-China space freeze may thaw with new commercial pathway

China willing to cooperate in peaceful space exploration: Xi

SUPERPOWERS
Thomas Pesquet returns to Earth

Propose a course idea for the CU space minor

Leading Global Air And Space Law Group Joins Reed Smith

New Horizons for Alexander Gerst

SUPERPOWERS
Saudi deal for counterfire radars approved by U.S. State Department

Study proves viability of quantum satellite communications

Indian Space Agency to Work on Electric Propulsion for Large Satellites

New sound diffuser is 10 times thinner than existing designs

SUPERPOWERS
Citizen scientists uncover a cold new world near sun

Giant Ringed Planet Likely Cause of Mysterious Eclipses

New Collaboration with Jodrell Bank Observatory for SETI

Viable Spores, DNA Fragments Discovery at ISS Justifies Biosphere's Expansion

SUPERPOWERS
A whole new Jupiter with first science results from Juno

First results from Juno show cyclones and massive magnetism

Jupiters complex transient auroras

NASA's Juno probe forces 'rethink' on Jupiter









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.