Russian fighter jets harassed US drones conducting mission against ISIS: Air Force

Three Russian fighter jets harassed U.S. drones that were conducting a mission against ISIS over Syria and forced the drones to “conduct evasive maneuvers,” the U.S. Air Force said Wednesday.

Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said in a statement that the Russian jets engaged in “unsafe and unprofessional behavior” with three U.S. MQ-9 drones at about 10:40 a.m. Wednesday over Syria.

Video footage of the encounter released by the Air Force appears to show three jets approaching an aircraft in the airspace.

“Against established norms and protocols, the Russian jets dropped multiple parachute flares in front of the drones, forcing our aircraft to conduct evasive maneuvers,” Grynkewich said.

The Air Force did not specify what kind of mission it was conducting against ISIS targets in Syria. The statement also said that one of the Russian pilots moved in front of one of the drones, which hampered the operator’s ability to safely pilot the drone.

“These events represent another example of unprofessional and unsafe actions by Russian air forces operating in Syria, which threaten the safety of both U.S. and Russian forces,” Grynkewich added. “We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that the U.S. has observed a “significant spike” in aggressive Russian flights over Syria. That month, two Russian jets forced a U.S. drone down into the Black Sea.

According to the National Counterterrorism Center, ISIS is a Salafi-jihadist group that the U.S. has labeled as a foreign terrorist organization. Last April, U.S. Central Command announced that U.S. forces killed senior ISIS leader Abd-al-Hadi Mahmud al-Haji Ali, whom they had targeted in a helicopter raid.