UK working to avoid Russia in Syria says defense chief
Date
12/12/2015 12:22:30 PM
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The U.K. is working to avoid any miscalculations in Syria as Russian aircraft has failed to respond to air communications Britain’s defense chief said Friday.
“We have been pressing for avoiding any miscalculation or accident” said Michael Fallon. “Because these aircraft have not been responding to communications from the air traffic control or indeed from signals from the planes that we set up too.”
Fallon spoke at a Washington think-tank prior to a sit-down with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
He said the U.K. has seen “a number of incursions into the British flight information region over recent months” and that the issue has come up during a discussion in Moscow on Thursday.
British aircraft in Syria acts in accord with an agreement between the U.S. and Russia that seeks to avoid accidents between aircraft operating in Syria he added.
In September Russia began air operations in Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Kremlin claims the strikes are aimed at supporting the government against Daesh but NATO believes Russia is targeting groups opposed to Assad - which include those backed by a U.S.-led coalition.
Shortly after Russia began operations the U.S. and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deconflict air activities above Syrian airspace.
Fallon said recent deadly attacks by Daesh pushed the U.K. to join the fight against the militants in Syria but that local ground forces were needed to destroy the group in Syria and Iraq -- not foreign forces.
"This will have to be done by homegrown forces perhaps with the support of other regional pleas as well" he said.
"What is clear is that these forces can't be Western forces" he added.
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