Russia
is stepping up its criticism of US military action in Iraq -- calling
Pentagon comments about civilian casualties in Mosul "absurd."
Russia's
Ministry of Defense issued a statement Sunday that derides US
officials' comments about the US-led coalition's possible role in more
than 100 civilian deaths in Mosul last month.
"Absurd
statements of the Pentagon representatives justifying civil casualties
caused by American bombing in Iraq give more information on the
operation planning level and the alleged supremacy of the American
"smart" bombs," the statement reads.
The
Russian ministry's statement references coalition spokesperson Col.
Joseph Scrocca's comments from last week, when he told reporters that
""ISIS is smuggling civilians into buildings so we won't see them and
trying to bait the coalition to attack."
Scrocca
said the coalition had observed the new ISIS tactic on video
surveillance, but US officials have not released the footage. The
Russian ministry statement questions why the US military is only now
revealing ISIS' alleged new tactic -- and asks why the coalition
proceeded with the strike despite knowing about it.
"First,
what are the motives of the American Command putting the veil of
confidentiality and keeping secret the crimes of terrorists from the
international community? Second, why (did) the US-led coalition, having
this information, make strikes with their 'smart' bombs on buildings
with civilians dooming them to a terrible death?"
Expanded Mosul investigation
Russia's
ramped-up criticism follows reports of heavy civilian casualties in
Mosul following a US airstrike in the city's al-Jadidah neighborhood on
March 17.
Col. Mohammad Shumari,
head of Iraqi civil forces working in the area, told CNN last week that
141 bodies had been removed from the location of that strike.
Last
week Scrocca acknowledged "a coalition strike contributed in at least
some way to the civilian casualties" in Mosul. The US has expanded its
investigation into a formal review of all airstrikes in the area over a
period of several days, the US military said Thursday.
The
investigation was broadened after a US team visited the site of the
March 17 airstrike and determined that there was evidence that the
strike hit a house where civilians were located, a defense official told
CNN.
The
official said they are looking at any other factors that might have
played into the civilian deaths, including the fact that ISIS tries to
deceive US targeting. The US believes it can develop some "indicators"
of when civilians are present, but the official declined to specify
details due to security concerns.
Trading roles
Russia's
withering condemnation of US actions in Iraq reverses a trend in the
two countries' military campaigns in the Middle East. The US frequently
criticized Russia for its "indiscriminate" airstrikes in Syria after
Moscow began its air assault against rebel groups in late 2015.
Sunday's
condemnation of US military action in Iraq comes on the heels of more
scathing criticism from Moscow. Last week Russia's Foreign Ministry
spokesperson challenged the integrity of US foreign policy after US
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that NATO needed to discuss
"Russia's aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere."
The
rising tensions are seen as an indication that the prospect of a new
era of US-Russian relations under President Trump is under threat. Two
administration officials told CNN on Thursday that Trump's hopes of
striking a grand bargain with Russia have faded.
According
to one senior administration official, this isn't necessarily because
Trump's view of Russian President Vladimir Putin has evolved. But Trump
believes in the current atmosphere -- with so much media scrutiny and
ongoing probes into Trump-Russian ties and election meddling -- that it
won't be possible to "make a deal," as the President himself has framed
it, the official said.
