U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to place American fighter jets equipped "to target Russian planes" on the border between Turkey and Syria could lead to a war between the U.S. and Russia that could widen into a nuclear conflict, a Democratic lawmaker warned on Tuesday.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii) raised the warning during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, the National Review reported.
During the hearing Defence Secretary Ash Carter did not directly comment on Gabbard's warning, announcing instead that President Obama is sending an "expeditionary force" of U.S. military special operators to carry out raids against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. He said this move that expands on the president's earlier decision to send about 50 elite troops to Syria to coordinate airstrikes.
Gabbard told Carter that the newly installed Russian anti-aircraft missile-defence system in Syria increases that possibility of a clash between U.S. and Russian military forces, "whether it's intentional or even an accidental event, where one side may shoot down the other side's plane."
"And that's really where the potential is for this devastating nuclear war," she added.
Carter explained that the U.S. disagreement with Russia is a diplomatic problem, not a military danger. "We have a different view, a very different view from Russia about what would be constructive for them to do in Syria," he said. "That's not the same as the United States and Russia clashing."
Carter said the deployment of a specialised expeditionary targeting force to Iraq is is meant to "put even more pressure" on ISIS, NBC News reported.
Although the U.S. special operation forces can conduct operations in Iraq "at the invitation of the Iraqi government," they can also "conduct unilateral operations into Syria," Carter said.
The Pentagon chief did not reveal the size of the special ops forces that will be battling ISIS fighters. However, Pentagon officials have told NBC News that the expeditionary targeting force would be comprised of 100 to 150 commandos who would be authorised to launch ground combat raids against ISIS targets in both Iraq and Syria.
The objective would be to gather intelligence, free hostages or prisoners and kill or capture ISIS leaders, the officials said.
At the same time, the elite U.S. troops would assist and could accompany Iraqi and Kurdish forces on their military operations against ISIS.
No timetable was given on the forces' deployment to Iraq.
One senior Pentagon official told NBC News that Obama's latest move "cracks open the door" for U.S. combat operations in Iraq and Syria.
The officials clarified that the 50 special operations forces that Obama and the Pentagon earlier announced were headed for northeastern Syria and will not be directly involved in ground combat operations. Their job is mainly to assist and advise mostly Kurdish forces in their combat ops against ISIS targets in Syria and will be "semi-permanently" located at a Kurdish military operations centre at a "safe distance" from Syrian combat zones.
