Russian jets shadow U.S. drones in Syria

Russia forces U.S. aircraft to reroute

American officials revealed that Russian fighter jets intercepted and shadowed U.S. predator drones on three separate occasions following the initiation of Russian airstrikes last week.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Intelligence reports from U.S. officials revealed that Russian fighter jets have intercepted at least three drones since Russia started its air campaign.
U.S. Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reported a U.S. aircraft flying over Syria was forced to reroute to avoid a Russian fighter jet on at least one occasion.  "We have taken action to maintain safe separation," David shared. The U.S. aircraft "changed path a little bit." However, Davis did not discuss what type of U.S. aircraft was involved in the incident.

The drone encounters took place in an area controlled by ISIS in Syria, U.S. officials reported. This includes an area in its de facto headquarters in Raqqa as well as the Turkish-Syrian border located near Korbani. The third incident happened in the Northwest near the contested city of Aleppo.
"The first time it happened, we thought the Russians got lucky. Then it happened two more times," one U.S. official shared. The aircraft involve is the U.S. military's MQ-1 Predator drone, which is not known to be  a stealth aircraft. "It is easy to see a predator on radar," the US official explained.
One official revealed that even though Russia has not attempted to shoot down any U.S. drones, they have flown and "intercepted attacks," making their presence known. "The Russians flew very close, but did not impede the drone flight."
Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook traveled with Europe's Defense Secretary leading up to a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels on Thursday. The Pentagon claims it is open to more military-to-military talks with Russia, though no immediate date has been set for the next talks.
Russian movements are believed to be part of Russia's plan to form a "protective belt" around Latakia, the stronghold of the Syrian President Bashar Assad, and carries airstrikes against anti-Assad rebel forces.
The pentagon continues to report strikes from its forward operating base at Bassel al-Assad airport in Latakia have been against Syrian opposition forces, not ISIS.
An unnamed senior military official said, "The Russians carried out only one half or at best a quarter of the strikes they claim to have conducted."
Turkey also reported Russia violated airspace on two separate occasions, which was seen as an "unprofessional" action and served as a form of "provocation."
Two senior US military officials simply reported, "The Russians flew along the border and we still don't know for sure what happened."

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