US Air Force Central Command claims Russian pilots damage MQ-9 drone in Syria

The US Air Force Central Command claims that a Russian military aircraft fired flares at a US MQ-9 drone in Syria. The US drone was damaged in the attack, Reuters reports.

According to the post that appeared on Twitter, the Russian military attacked the drone on July 23. The drone was damaged during a mission "to fight ISIS” (Islamic State, a terrorist organisation banned in Russia). Nevertheless, the drone returned to base safely.

On July 23, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, deputy head of the Centre for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria, said that an American MQ-9 drone "dangerously approached” a Russian aircraft in Syria. According to him, Russian pilots reported the incident, and airborne defence systems were activated automatically.