- A U.S.-Russian military vehicle disaster that injured four U.S. troops in Syria has alarmed both Republicans and Democrats, prompting many to make a joint statement.
- Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts told Insider President Donald Trump that he was to blame for the region’s rapid exit and left only a small force to confront the numerically larger Russian force.
- James Phillips, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, described the latest clash as a highlight of competing interests.
- “This will probably continue until the Russians see that this creates more costs than benefits for them,” Phillips told Insider.
- Visit the Business Insider website for more stories.
A U.S.-Russian military car crash that injured four U.S. troops in eastern Syria alerted both Republicans and Democrats, prompting many of them to come together to issue a rare joint statement condemning the Kremlin’s “aggression” in condemned the region.
“We are appalled by reports of Russian military aggression against US troops on the ground in Syria and strongly condemned their actions,” ten lawmakers from the Armed Forces Commission wrote in a joint statement. “We urge Russian troops to stop this aggressive behavior immediately.”
“It is critical that officials at the Pentagon and the White House also clearly communicate to the highest levels of the Russian government and military that actions such as these will not be tolerated,” the statement added.
Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a former Marine Corps infantry officer, told Insider that President Donald Trump was to blame for leaving only a small group of American troops in Syria for a much larger Russian force.
“First, President Trump left our men and women in Syria and handed over control to the Russians. Then Russia paid the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan, and Trump was silent,” Moulton told Insider, referring to Trump’s withdrawal from Syria. earlier in 2019 and the Russian intelligence service’s news reports that Taliban – linked insurgents are paying for bounties against US troops.
“Now Russia is deliberately invading and destroying American troops,” Moulton added. “The president is not saving lives or trying to get us out of endless wars, he is getting Americans killed because of his total recklessness and inability.”
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air National Guard officer, called the incident “disturbing” in a tweet directed at Putin, saying it was “not a game you will win.”
Turkish and Russian troops patrol through Idlib province, Syria, March 15, 2020.
Turkish Ministry of Defense via AP
The debt game
The car crash happened Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time. Video images of the incident on social media showed two cars colliding after Russian armored vehicles drove to a moving U.S. mine-resistant unobstructed off-road vehicle (M-ATV).
In a statement from the National Security Council, a spokesman said US troops were conducting a “routine … security patrol” when they were confronted with the “unsafe and unprofessional action” of the Russian force.
“The coalition and the United States do not seek escalation with national military forces, but American troops always retain the inherent right and obligation to defend themselves against hostile acts,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Russian officials are accusing their American counterparts.
“In violation of existing agreements, U.S. troops attempted to block the Russian patrol,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “In response, the Russian military police took the necessary measures to prevent an incident and to carry out its mission.”
Roughly 500 U.S. counterparts are officially deployed to Syria as part of their ongoing campaign against ISIS militants in the region. But Trump, along with U.S. defense officials, added that U.S. troops were deployed in an effort to protect oil fields from ISIS, the Syrian regime, Iran, and other destabilizing actors.
Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, continues to operate in the country and began providing military assistance to the dictator’s troops in 2015.
A US military convoy drives near the city of Qamishli, northern Syria, October 26, 2019.
Baderkhan Ahmad / AP
‘This is likely to continue’
US and Russian-linked forces have clashed in the past. In 2018, hundreds of Syrian troops and Russian government-linked mercenaries were killed or wounded after US airstrikes and artillery attacks in eastern Syria. U.S. officials have claimed that waves of Syrian troops and tanks were advancing and firing at their location, forcing them to act in self-defense.
James Phillips, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, described the latest clash as a pinnacle of competing interests between Russia and the US.
“This is another long line of incidents that the Russians have provoked, and it demonstrates the extent to which the US and Russians clash,” Phillips told Insider. “I think it’s a manifestation of how the Russians are trying to create incidents to undermine the influence of the US and access to the region. I think they ultimately want to deprive US troops of their supply route to Iraq by road to take over. “
According to Phillips, Russia’s actions are another attempt to make a “political point that American troops are scattered there, and are unlikely to stay that long.”
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General of the US Army Mark Milley, held a phone call on Wednesday with his opponent, General Valery Gerasimov, after the incident. Details of the call were not made public after both generals agreed to keep the discussion private.
Despite the decommissioning efforts by senior military officials, further action by State Department leaders such as the White House may be required to prevent future clashes in Syria, according to Phillips.
“This will probably continue until the Russians see that this creates more costs than benefits for them,” Phillips told Insider.
