A pro-Assad fighter jet was shot down by syrian democratic forces (SDF) near the besieged city of Raqqa. The Syrian government stated that the fighter had just completed an attack against ISIS fighters when U.S. backed forces shot it down.
What is the Syrian government's reaction?
Immediately after the incident, the Syrian Military issued a statement condemning the downing of a government plane after conducting anti-terrorism attacks near Raqqa. The government said that the fighter jet was shot down south of Raqqa near the town of Resafa on Sunday afternoon.
This is a major blunder for the SDF army as U.S. personnel in the area are not authorized to attack Syrian government forces that have not entered the deconfliction zone near Al-Tanf.
The Syrian army added that the U.S. led coalition in Syria is envious of the government's progress against ISIS. They continued that the SDF are worried that government success against the war on terror will be detrimental for their ambition of toppling the Assad government. This incident will deepen the fissure between the Kurds and Assad's regime, a problem that will surely grow after the war against ISIS is won.
What is the reaction of the United States on this?
As of the moment, neither the White House or the Pentagon has issued any statement on the matter.
However, according to latest reports, the SDF slowly winning in Raqqa, though most of the Kurdish army grounded to a halt due to the slowing pace of U.S. airstrikes in the area. According to SDF officials, the U.S. air force is lacking intensity on conducting air strikes to dislodge ISIS fighters from major defensive positions in and around Raqqa.
The major progress of the American-led coalition is the slow yet sustained offensive against the two major ISIS stronghold, Raqqa, and Mosul. The Iraq army is now on the final leg of its Mosul offensive and is optimistic that they will have the city under their control. However, this is not the case with Raqqa, as the constraints on American movement inside the country hampers the advance of SDF troops.
The Assad government is virtually protected by the Russian army and any formal declaration of war against the regime may force Moscow's hand. This is an event that America doesn't want to occur, which is why U.S. troops in Syria are not authorized to conduct targeted strikes on pro-Assad forces outside of the designated de-confliction zone.
