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White House says Russia breached de-confliction protocols after incident in Syria

Russian vehicle struck a Coalition Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle causing injuries to the vehicle’s crew, US National Security Council Spokesman John Ullyott says

© AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

WASHINGTON, August 27. /TASS/. Russia has breached de-confliction protocols following an incident in the northeast of Syria, where American military servicemen were reportedly injured on August 25, US National Security Council Spokesman John Ullyott said in a statement, received by TASS on Wednesday.

"At approximately 10 a.m. (Syria Time), August 25, a routine Defeat-ISIS Coalition security patrol encountered a Russian military patrol near Dayrick, in northeast Syria," the statement quoted Ullyott as saying.

"During this interaction, a Russian vehicle struck a Coalition Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) causing injuries to the vehicle’s crew," he continued. "To de-escalate the situation, the Coalition patrol departed the area."

"Unsafe and unprofessional actions like this represent a breach of de-confliction protocols, committed to by the United States and Russia in December 2019," Ullyott stated.

"The Coalition and the United States do not seek escalation with any national military forces, but US forces always retain the inherent right and obligation to defend themselves from hostile acts," the high-ranking US official added.

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