Tag: US airstrike

Russia slams ‘criminal’ US-led strikes in Syria

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Russia’s UN ambassador on Thursday slammed as “criminal” the US-led coalition strikes against pro-regime forces in Syria that left more than 100 dead. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters that he protested the assault in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ezzor during a closed-door Security Council meeting. “It was inadmissible for whatever reasons it was justified,” Nebenzia told reporters, adding that he told the United States “to remember that they […]

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US-led strikes on Syria’s Deir Ezzor ‘self-defense’: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Deadly air strikes by a US-led coalition on pro-regime forces in eastern Syria were purely an act of self-defense, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Thursday, in an apparent effort to tamp down controversy over the incident. “It was self-defense,” Mattis told reporters. “We are not getting engaged in the Syrian civil war.” More than 100 forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were killed in the attack by the US-backed […]

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Palace says US plan to conduct air strike, unconstitutional

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) — Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the reported plan of the United States, specifically the Pentagon, to conduct air strikes in Marawi City is unconstitutional and is “prohibited by our law.” “It does not involve any boots on the ground nor any direct participation in combat operations, such as the air strikes reportedly being planned against Islamic State-inspired groups in the Philippines. This is a matter prohibited by our […]

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Transcript of exclusive AFP interview with Syria’s Assad

DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — In the following AFP interview with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, the questions were asked in English and he replied in English. Question 1: Did you give an order to strike Khan Sheikhun with chemical weapons last Tuesday? President Assad: Actually, no one has investigated what happened that day in Khan Sheikhun till the moment. As you know, Khan Sheikhun is under the control of Al-Nusra Front, which is a branch of […]

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Trump says it is time to end Syria’s ‘brutal civil war’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump told allies it was time to end Syria’s “brutal” civil war Wednesday, as he branded the country’s leader Bashar al-Assad a “butcher” and questioned Russia’s role in a suspected chemical attack. Trump, standing alongside North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, called on allies to “work together to resolve the disaster” in Syria and thanked them for condemning Assad’s suspected sarin attack in Khan […]

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US wants to get past rift with Russia amid Syria impasse

By Andrew Beatty, with Dave Clark in Moscow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States — The United States wants to improve ties with Russia from their current “all-time low” over Syria, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, as Moscow dug in to defend its ally in Damascus. Standing side-by-side with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House, Trump said: “It would be wonderful… if NATO and our country could get along […]

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British FM cancels Moscow visit over ‘developments in Syria’

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a scheduled visit to Moscow next week, his office announced Saturday, saying “developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally.” “My priority is now to continue contact with the (United States) and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April,” said Johnson, who was due to travel to Moscow on Monday. “We deplore Russia’s continued defence of the Assad […]

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Moscow slams US ‘aggression’ in Syria; suspends air safety deal

    MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow slammed the United States strike on a Syrian airbase Friday as “aggression against a sovereign state,” and suspended a bilateral agreement to help avoid clashes in the skies over the war-torn country. “President (Vladimir) Putin considers American strikes on Syria aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international norms, and under an invented pretext,” said the statement by the Kremlin press service posted on the official website. […]

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DFA: Philippine embassy in Damascus “closely monitoring” situation in Syria

(Eagle News) — The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that the embassy in Damascus was “closely monitoring” the situation in Syria, which was the subject of a United States missile attack. In a phone interview over CNN Philippines, Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, DFA spokesperson, said the embassy was “in close coordination” with the Filipino community there to “ensure their safety.” Jose said there are an estimated 1400 Filipinos in Syria, many of whom have married […]

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