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Russia’s actions in northeast Syria pose no threat to US military — Pentagon report

According to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Russian side is attempting to compel the United States leave the northeastern part of Syria

WASHINGTON, May 5. /TSS/. The United States believes that Russian military’s operations in northeastern Syria constitute a breach of the de-confliction mechanism but pose no threat to the US-led international coalition in the country, according to a US military report.

"During the quarter, Russia continued to violate the de-confliction processes that the Coalition and Russia established in northeastern Syria to prevent inadvertent escalations," reads a report by Acting Inspector General U.S. Department of Defense Sean O’Donnell, which looks into the period of January 1 - March 31, 2021.

"While Russian forces largely adhered to the de-confliction processes, violations increased slightly compared to the previous quarter," the report says.

According to the US military, types of purported violations include the addition of an extra vehicle to pre-arranged patrols and not providing proper notification of military transport and fighter aircraft moving from Russia to Syria.

"These violations did not pose a threat to Coalition forces," the document says.

At the same time, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Russian side is attempting to compel the United States leave the northeastern part of Syria. The document's authors also believe that in the past three months, Russia "continued to try to assert its influence" with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and engage with the local population in northeastern Syria.

"Russia sought to present itself as a broker for ongoing tensions between the SDF and Turkish-aligned forces, but the SDF continued to reject Russian offers," the report says.

Russia’s operations in Syria are centered around two main areas: assisting the legitimate government in wiping out the remaining groups of terrorists in the country and facilitating a political dialogue among various political forces in Syria.

Unlike Russia, the United States is operating on the Syrian territory without the legitimate government’s permission.