Russia ‘Harassed’ US Drones in Syria for 3 Straight Days: Pentagon

A drone flies by at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nev., on Aug. 8, 2007. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

U.S. military drones were harassed three times in three days by Russian aircraft in Syria, Pentagon officials have confirmed.

The U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, stated on July 9 that it carried out a drone strike on July 7 that killed Usamah al-Muhajir, an ISIS terrorist leader in Syria, and that it used MQ-9 Reaper drones in the attack. No other details were provided, other than that those drones “earlier in the day been harassed by Russian aircraft in an encounter that had lasted almost two hours.”

Officials said that on July 5 and 6, Russian aircraft also harassed the MQ-9 drones in separate incidents, according to reports.

On July 6, the pilots of Russian fighter jets engaged in what U.S. military officials described as unsafe and unprofessional behavior by dropping parachute flares in front of the drones. A day earlier, three U.S. Reaper drones also were harassed by Russian fighter jets while on a mission against ISIS, according to the Air Force.

The military also declassified videos showing Russian jets dropping the flares in front of the MQ-9 drones. One of the Russian jets was also seen using its afterburners.

“Russian aircraft flew 18 unprofessional close passes that caused the MQ-9s to react to avoid unsafe situations,” U.S. Air Forces Central stated.

“We continue to encourage Russia to return to the established norms of a professional Air Force so we can all return our focus to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

Russia hasn’t issued a public comment about the Pentagon’s latest claims.

But Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, said this past week that the Russian and Syrian militaries had started a six-day joint training that ends on July 10.

Mr. Gurinov added in comments carried by Syrian state media that Moscow was concerned about the flights of drones by the U.S.-led coalition over northern Syria, calling them “systematic violations of protocols” designed to avoid clashes between the two militaries, according to The Associated Press.

Washington has in the past year stepped up raids and operations against suspected ISIS operatives in Syria, killing and arresting various leaders who had taken shelter in areas under Turkey-backed rebel control after the group lost its last territory in Syria in 2019.

The U.S.-led campaign that killed former ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who had declared himself the “caliph of all Muslims,” has since targeted its surviving leaders, many of whom are thought to have planned attacks abroad.

Russian military SU-34 and SU-35 aircraft release flares in the flight path of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone, lower left, over Syria on July 6, 2023. U.S. Air Force via AP

U.S. military commanders have said that ISIS remains a significant threat within the region despite the degrading of its capabilities and its ability to reestablish its network has weakened.

In 2014, ISIS, sometimes called Islamic State or ISIL, controlled one-third of Iraq and Syria. Though it has been beaten back in both countries, its fighters continue to wage insurgent attacks.

“We have made it clear that we remain committed to the defeat of ISIS throughout the region,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, said in the statement on July 9. “ISIS is a threat, not only to the region but well beyond.”

The statement said there are also no indications that any civilians were killed in the drone strike. However, officials are still assessing reports of civilian casualties.

“This will disrupt and degrade ISIS’s ability to plan and conduct terror attacks,” the July 9 statement read. “However, CENTCOM’s operations against ISIS, alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria, will continue in order to achieve the group’s enduring defeat.”

Other Incidents

The several days of close encounters between U.S. and Russian aircraft marks the third such confrontation this year. In March, the Pentagon released a clip of a Russian jet colliding with another MQ-9 drone in international airspace, forcing the drone to crash into the Black Sea.

The incident drew a response from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“The United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows, and it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.”

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.