US deploys Bradley armored vehicles to Syria after dustups with Russia’s troops
Four US service members were injured last month when a Russian troop carrier rammed a US military vehicle.
American Bradley Fighting Vehicles have deployed to northeast Syria, the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) announced this evening.
The deployment of mechanized infantry and the armored vehicles is intended to “ensure the protection of Coalition forces and preserve their freedom of movement so they may continue Defeat Daesh [IS] operations safely,” coalition spokesman US Army Col. Wayne Morotto said.
Last month, a Russian troop carrier rammed a US up-armored vehicle in a heated off-road encounter that left four US soldiers with mild concussion-like symptoms.
The two sides have engaged in a number of tense standoffs on contested roads in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled northeast, despite US attempts to safely pre-arrange patrolling areas with their Russian rivals.
