Was Russia’s Brazen Air Strike On US-Backed Anti-ISIS Fighters A Ploy?
Russian jets are back in Syria, and they faced down F/A-18s during a suspect raid on an obscure outpost.
In what was the most provocative move made by Russia since becoming militarily involved in the conflict in Syria, Russian jets bombed US-backed anti-ISIS fighters last week at a remote garrison located along the Jordanian border. The area is one that Russia has never really been active in even during Moscow’s high-tempo bombing campaign that supposedly ended last March.
According to CNN, the target was a remote staging base near At Tanf, less than a dozen miles from the Jordanian border. About 200 US-backed fighters were at the base at the time of the surprise attack, with an unknown amount killed and wounded during the aerial bombardment.
As the initial air strikes began, personnel at the base sent an emergency message to the Combined Operations Center in Qatar that manages the US-led air campaign. The US then used the emergency communications channel setup between the US and Russia last winter to tell Russia to stop the onslaught.
There was no response.
At the same time, American F/A-18 Hornets were redirected to the area to provide air cover. The Hornets came close enough to the Russian jets to visually identify them as they left the area. The Hornet pilots tried to contact the Russian aircraft on a preassigned frequency that was put in place early last winter because of “deconfliction concerns” between the two nations. There was no answer.
The Hornets stayed overhead the smoldering outpost for a period of time but had to depart briefly to refuel from a tanker. Once they departed the area, the Russian jets vectored back in on the base and struck it once again. The Los Angeles Times states that the Russian aircraft involved in the attack were Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers while other reports list them as Su-24 Fencer attack jets. Both could be true, with different sets of aircraft attacking the target during the two consecutive waves. The Su-34’s PESA radar and long endurance would have been beneficial to keep tabs on the Hornets so that they would know when the area was vulnerable again for a second strike.
These details raise serious questions. First, is Russia diving back into the Syrian conflict with fixed-wing attack and fighter aircraft? Second, following this brazen airstrike—one where the emergency measures agreed upon by the US and Russia to keep misunderstandings from happening were seemingly jettisoned—what does it mean for the next time US and Russian air power come face-to-face over Syrian territory?
Russia’s never-ending quest to get America’s tactical map of Syria
Secretary of Defense Carter did not mince words in response to the Russian strike:
"Here's a case where they actually attacked forces that were fighting ISIL. And if that was their intention, that's the opposite of what they said they were going to do. If not, then it says something about the quality of the information upon which they make airstrikes."
This statement is meant to question Russia’s true objectives in Syria, but it also may indicate the US in falling into the Kremlin’s trap when it comes to their satisfying their incessant demand for acquiring the Pentagon’s rich intelligence and tactical map of Syria.
In response, the Kremlin claims it is hard to discern who is who on the battlefield. Such a response is damning on multiple levels. First of all, this was a remote outpost far from where Assad’s forces are fighting, and the strike was obviously well planned. Even for Russia, whose air campaign in Syria was dominated by dumb bombs and questionable targeting, striking an outpost on the Jordanian border—literally in the middle of nowhere—not once, but twice, and even after the US had fighters over the target, is too conveniently incompetent.
Then there is the strange silence in the face of US calls to stand down, despite a hotline setup by both parties for just this type of situation—and by the F/A-18 crews themselves. Could Russia’s real goal for this attack have been a strategic one?
Russia has long pushed for "intelligence sharing" with the US. Primarily, this includes the assembly of a common map showing precisely where everyone is on the Syrian battlefield. The US-led coalition has been wary of such an endeavor because it would give Russia all the positions of anti-Assad forces, including the locations of US Special Operations personnel. Considering Russia spent the majority of its time pummeling anti-Assad fighters, not ISIS, during its air campaign, giving them America’s situational map of the conflict sounds like a game of “Russian Roulette” if you will. Also, the idea is that if Russia gets this information so would Assad. As such, these forces could be wiped out by Russian air power on a whim, or even by Assad’s forces as they continue to gain tactical momentum.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/407...ers-a-ploy
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Russian Air Force bombs base of US Backed Rebels. US Jets respond.
