The Syrian government has said three of its soldiers have been killed in a US-led coalition air strike, but the coalition has denied responsibility.
The Syrian foreign ministry said jets fired missiles at an army camp in Deir al-Zour province, which is largely controlled by Islamic State (IS). The ministry condemned what it called an act of “flagrant aggression”.
But the coalition spokesman insisted that its forces had carried out no strikes in the area near the camp. Responding to a later report that coalition air strikes may have killed up to 26 civilians in a separate strike in al-Hawl in northern Syria, a spokesman said allegations were taken very “seriously”, adding that if the information was deemed “credible”, an investigation would be launched and the results released publicly.
The coalition has been targeting IS militants in Syria since September 2014, and does not coordinate its raids with the authorities in Damascus. Russia has also been bombing IS and other opponents of President Bashar al-Assad since late September.
