WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The forces of moderate Syrian opposition that went through US train-and-equip program have not been attacked by Russia during its air operations in the country, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a testimony on Tuesday.
“Our title 10 forces…they have not come under attack by either Assad’s forces or Russia’s forces, Syrian Arab coalition and the Kurdish YPG [People’s Defense Units],” Carter said at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
On October 9, Washington abandoned its $500-million campaign to train the so-called moderate opposition in Syria but decided instead to arm vetted Syrian opposition leaders.
Russia launched an airstrike campaign against terrorist groups in Syria on September 30 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The United States, the European Union and their Middle Eastern allies have previously accused Russia of hitting "wrong targets" in Syria and allegedly carrying out airstrikes on so-called moderate Syrian rebels.