WASHINGTON: The top U.S. military officer told Congress on Thursday that he believes Russia bombed a humanitarian aid convoy in Syria earlier this week, killing 20 civilians in an “unacceptable atrocity,” as the bitter feud between the two nations over the five-year Syrian civil war escalated further.
The statement from U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, marked the first time a senior U.S. official has publicly pointed the finger at Moscow for the incident. Russia’s defense ministry quickly disputed Dunford’s comments.
The testimony from Dunford and Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who also appeared before the panel, underscored the Pentagon’s mistrust of Moscow and highlighted the hurdles of forging a lasting truce in Syria, where the war has killed nearly 500,000 people and allowed the Islamic State group to develop into a global threat.
Under questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee, Dunford revealed for the first time that both Russian and Syrian aircraft were in the area at the time of the strike. And when pressed for his own conclusion, Dunford said he believed Russia launched the airstrike.
Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia’s defense ministry, called Dunford’s testimony his “personal opinion” and contended that the U.S. fears having to acknowledge responsibility for the attack.
Dunford and Carter faced Republicans angry that the Obama administration is not taking more aggressive steps to end the war in Syria. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the committee chairman, accused Secretary of State John Kerry of being “intrepid but delusional” for trying to work with Russia to secure long-term peace in Syria.
In Damascus, President Bashar Assad projected confidence in an interview with the Associated Press. He conceded nothing to his critics, and accused the U.S. of derailing a cease-fire and lacking the “will” to fight extremists in his country.
Assad rejected U.S. accusations that Syrian or Russian planes struck an aid convoy in Aleppo this week and that his troops were preventing food from entering the city’s rebel-held areas. He maintained deadly airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition on Syrian troops last weekend were intentional, dismissing American officials’ statements that they were an accident.
In Washington, the State Department countered that Assad’s assertions were “ridiculous.”
Also Wednesday, the U.N. resumed its aid convoys to Syria’s opposition areas. Residents said a 23-truck convoy delivered assistance to a Damascus suburb besieged by government forces.
Local media activist Wassim al-Ahmad said the trucks to Moadamiyeh carried medical and food supplies from various U.N. agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross.