U.S. Military Killed 'A Couple Hundred' Russians In Syria Airstrikes, Pompeo Says As Trump C

Prospective Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers Thursday that the U.S. killed up to 200 Russian in airstrikes conducted against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in February.

U.S. officials have so far remained silent about the number of casualties inflicted by a coalition assault on pro-Syrian government fighters that the Pentagon claimed opened fire on allied Syrian Democratic Forces in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. Both a U.S.-led coalition and the Russia-backed forces supportive of Assad are battling the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in the region, but recent tensions have produced fears of an open conflict between Washington and Moscow.