Pompeo Says 'Couple Hundred' Russians Killed by U.S. Warplanes in Syria in February

Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo said Thursday that “a couple hundred Russians” were killed in Syria by U.S. warplanes after Syrian fighters backed by Washington came under attack in February.

Mr. Pompeo offered that assessment to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a hearing on his nomination to be the next secretary of state.

The episode took place on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, when Russian mercenaries mounted an attack using tanks and artillery in an apparent attempt to take an oil-rich area in the eastern Syria province of Deir Ezzour. Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces, organized by the U.S. to fight Islamic State, came under fire and American air power was called in.

The Russian mercenaries were part of private military group known as the Wagner Group, which is run by a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin has played down the episode, and the Pentagon has been reluctant to say how many Russians might have been killed and what relation the mercenaries had to the Kremlin. Instead, the Pentagon talked about a clash involving “pro-regime” forces.

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