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Syrian regime claims US-led strike on troops was 'deliberate'
Syrian regime claims US-led strike on troops was 'deliberate'
An adviser to Bashar al-Assad has claimed that Damascus remains committed to a truce despite an "international" raid on Syrian troops and Aleppo bombing.
2 min read
A US airstrike temporarily allowed IS to gain ground [Getty]
A senior adviser to President Bashar al-Assad said that although US-led coalition planes "intentionally" bombed Syrian soldiers, Damascus remains committed to a fragile truce.
In a phone interview from the Syrian capital, Buthaina Shaaban told AFP that the Assad government "believes that the strike was intentional".
"None of the facts on the ground show that what happened was a mistake or a coincidence," she said.
On Saturday, the US-led air coalition bombed a Syrian army position near the eastern city of Deir az-Zour, killing as many as 90 soldiers.
Syrian government forces have been battling an Islamic State group offensive near Deir az-Zour since last year.
"Everything was calculated and Daesh knew about it... Even Russia reached the terrifying conclusion that the United States is colluding with Daesh," Shaaban added, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
"When Daesh advanced, the raids stopped."
She said that since the US-led intervention began in Syria in 2014, "we have been saying that this is not against Daesh, that they are not striking Daesh."
Syria's army late Saturday said the raid had allowed IS to gain ground around the key Deir az-Zour airbase.
The coalition admitted that it may have hit the Syrian regime troops, but said it believed it was targeting an IS position there.
The fallout has strained a teetering ceasefire deal between the US and Russia aimed at helping to end Syria's five-year war.
Shaaban said on Sunday the truce was still in place.
"We are committed to the truce. The truce is continuing until its expiration. Maybe it will be extended, maybe there will be another agreement," she said.
Last week, the Syrian regime announced that it would observe a freeze on fighting until midnight on Monday 19 September.
Damascus believes Saturday's raid may signal divisions within the Washington administration on deepening US-Russia cooperation under the truce deal, Shaaban said.
"What is worrying is its (the strike's) effect on the US-Russia agreement. I believe that some elements in the United States do not want this deal," she said.
"There is a side that agrees with the Russians and another side that rejects the agreement. This makes it seem to us that the White House wants this agreement while the Pentagon rejects it."
In a phone interview from the Syrian capital, Buthaina Shaaban told AFP that the Assad government "believes that the strike was intentional".
"None of the facts on the ground show that what happened was a mistake or a coincidence," she said.
On Saturday, the US-led air coalition bombed a Syrian army position near the eastern city of Deir az-Zour, killing as many as 90 soldiers.
Syrian government forces have been battling an Islamic State group offensive near Deir az-Zour since last year.
"Everything was calculated and Daesh knew about it... Even Russia reached the terrifying conclusion that the United States is colluding with Daesh," Shaaban added, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
"When Daesh advanced, the raids stopped."
She said that since the US-led intervention began in Syria in 2014, "we have been saying that this is not against Daesh, that they are not striking Daesh."
Syria's army late Saturday said the raid had allowed IS to gain ground around the key Deir az-Zour airbase.
The coalition admitted that it may have hit the Syrian regime troops, but said it believed it was targeting an IS position there.
The fallout has strained a teetering ceasefire deal between the US and Russia aimed at helping to end Syria's five-year war.
Shaaban said on Sunday the truce was still in place.
"We are committed to the truce. The truce is continuing until its expiration. Maybe it will be extended, maybe there will be another agreement," she said.
Last week, the Syrian regime announced that it would observe a freeze on fighting until midnight on Monday 19 September.
Damascus believes Saturday's raid may signal divisions within the Washington administration on deepening US-Russia cooperation under the truce deal, Shaaban said.
"What is worrying is its (the strike's) effect on the US-Russia agreement. I believe that some elements in the United States do not want this deal," she said.
"There is a side that agrees with the Russians and another side that rejects the agreement. This makes it seem to us that the White House wants this agreement while the Pentagon rejects it."
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