US 'concerns' over Russia's move to deploy anti-aircraft missile system in Syria

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Thursday 26 Nov 2015 - 12:35 Makkah mean time-14-2-1437 (Photo/CFP) Washington (IINA) – Russia's decision to deploy its most hi-tech air defense system to its base in Syria is raising "significant concerns" for the US military, AFP reported citing a US official on Wednesday. Moscow says it is sending S-400 anti-aircraft missiles to Latakia in northwestern Syria, in a move that comes after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet in the increasingly crowded air space along the border on Tuesday. The S-400 missiles have a range of about 400 kilometers - meaning they could reach deep into Turkey or pose a potential threat to US-led coalition planes - adding yet another dangerous element to an already volatile mix of competing military interests in Syria. "It's a capable weapons system that poses a significant threat to anyone," a US official told AFP. "There are significant concerns related to air operations in Syria." But another US official said the S-400s "shouldn't" affect coalition flights. "We are not going to interfere with (the Russians') operations and they are not going to interfere with ours. There's no reason for us to be targeting each other," the official said. He also noted that Russia in the past week had delivered more than 30 T-90 and T-72 tanks to Latakia, adding that it was not clear if these were for use by the Russian military or will be provided to forces loyal to Assad. Russia resumed its bombing campaign Wednesday and continued to operate close to the Turkish border. In northern Syria's Aleppo province, apparent Russian strikes hit the town of Azaz and the border area around the Bab al-Salama crossing, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. The monitor and local Syrian activist Maamun al-Khatieb reported three people killed in the strikes, which also set fire to several trucks parked in a lot not far from the crossing. "Three people have been killed and six injured, most of them are truck drivers," Khatieb told AFP. He said the trucks were carrying aid and goods for sale, and were parked in a lot where vehicles gather after crossing the border, around three kilometers away. A US official said he was "aware of reports that a convoy of humanitarian relief vehicles was hit by an airstrike today in the vicinity of Azaz." The official noted that no coalition planes had been near the area for the last 24 hours. AB/IINA