Australia suspends air strikes in Syria after Russia warning
Australia has suspended all air operations over Syria in the wake of US forces downing a Syrian jet and a warning from Russia that US-led coalition planes are now targets for its forces in parts of the country.
“As a precautionary measure, Australian Defence Force (ADF) strike operations into Syria have temporarily ceased,” an ADF spokeswoman said in a statement on Tuesday.
Russia also said it was halting communications with the US aimed at preventing such incidents.
Australia has six fighter jets based in the United Arab Emirates that strike targets in Syria and Iraq.
A spokesman for the Department of Defence told the ABC that the situation would be monitored and sorties over Iraq would continue. “Australian defence force personnel are closely monitoring the air situation in Syria and a decision on the resumption of ADF air operations in Syria will be made in due course,” he said.
On Sunday, a US warplane hit a Syrian Su-22 with a missile.
The US claimed that it had targeted the plane “in collective self-defense of coalition-partnered forces” in Syria’s Tabqa.
Australia has deployed about 780 military personnel as part of the US-led coalition fighting Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in both Iraq and Syria.
