U.S. Airstrikes Said to Have Nearly Hit American Allies in Syria
According to two moderate rebels, an American airstrike nearly wiped out a command-and-control center run by affiliates of the Free Syrian Army last week.
As Josh Rogin reported, the offensive was said to have "hit only 200 meters from an FSA facility in the suburbs of Idlib. One source briefed on the incident said multiple FSA fighters were killed in the attack."
Hussam Al Marie, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army said that there hasn't been any coordination between the United States and the moderate forces on the ground, which explains last week's near-miss. He added: "Because there is no coordination, they are hitting empty buildings for ISIS."
As we noted yesterday, the U.S.-led airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria have already had their share of inauspicious moments. On Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that an American attack last week struck a grain silo, killing a number of Syrian civilians. Meanwhile, another airstrike was said to have hit a military base that had been abandoned by ISIS months before.
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The airstrikes are also said to be causing a popular backlash against the rebel forces that President Obama ostensibly wants to empower. As Reuters notes, "The rebels say civilian casualties from the week-old air campaign and suspicion of U.S. motives are endangering the public support they have gained during their fight with [Syrian dictator Bashar] Assad."
Then, of course, there's the matter of Assad, who has not only benefited from American-led airstrikes, but also is believed to have received information about the strikes ahead of time. Earlier this week, Syria's foreign minister signed off on the coalition airstrikes, saying that the Assad regime is "O.K." with the campaign.
This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/09/us-airstrikes-said-to-have-nearly-hit-american-allies-in-syria/380940/
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