Syria: Massacre caused by US aggression

(19 May 2017) Syria's UN ambassador and head of the government delegation at the Geneva peace talks said on Friday that American "aggression" was a big part of Friday's meeting with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura. Bashar al-Ja'afari comments came a day after the US-led coalition stated that a US airstrike had struck pro-Syrian government forces, which it said posed a threat to American troops and allied rebels operating near the border with Jordan. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, al-Ja'afari called the incident "a massacre". An unnamed Syrian military official spoke on Syrian state TV later on Friday, saying the strike killed several soldiers and caused material damage. The official said the area attacked was a military position along Tanf highway in the desert. The attack was the first close confrontation between US forces and fighters backing President Bashar Assad. The region around Tanf, where the borders of Jordan, Syria and Iraq meet, has been considered a de-conflicted zone, under an agreement between the US and Russia that went into effect earlier this month. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1baa07201933474949866ad7c96fde45 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork