Three Syrian troops killed in US-led airstrikes in eastern Syria

The Syrian government says three of its soldiers have been killed in airstrikes by the US-led coalition created to allegedly target Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

In a statement on Monday, the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said 13 troops were also injured when four US-led coalition warplanes fired nine missiles at one of the Syrian army’s posts in the central-east of the country in Deir Ezzor Province. 

The ministry stressed that the Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns the "heinous aggression" by the coalition, adding that the attacks run counter to the goals and spirit of the UN Charter, Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is affiliated to the foreign-backed Syria opposition, had earlier said that four Syrian troops were killed after the air raids hit part of the Saeqa military camp near the town of Ayyash in the west of Deir Ezzor Province.

According to the observatory, this is the first time that a strike from the US-led coalition kills Syrian government troops.

The Britain-based group said that the air strike hit the military camp, which is located around two kilometers (1.2 miles) from an area controlled by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, some time in the last 24 hours.

A source close to the Syrian government confirmed the air raid, saying there had been casualties. Several vehicles were also destroyed in the air assault.

The observatory also said that a woman and two children were killed in another air attack by the US-led coalition in the city of Deir Ezzor overnight.

Since late September 2014, the US, along with some of its allies, has been conducting airstrikes purportedly against Daesh extremists inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

In an interview with China's Phoenix television on November 22, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that terrorists harrying the country grew in power after the United States and its allies started aerial strikes against purported Daesh hideouts.

“The result is that the terrorists have gained more ground and more recruits from around the world,” said Assad.

The air raids in Syria are an extension of the US-led aerial campaign against alleged Daesh positions in Iraq, which started in August last year. Many have criticized the ineffectiveness of the raids.

This is while the US and some of its regional allies, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have lent staunch support to the Takfiri groups there.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy for four and a half years. More than 250,000 have lost their lives and millions displaced as a result of the crisis in the war-torn Arab country.

The foreign-sponsored militancy has displaced 7.6 million Syrians.

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