U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the shootdown of a Russian military aircraft by Syrian forces complicates relations between President Bashar Assad and the Russian government but has "no effect whatever" on the U.S. campaign to defeat Islamic State fighters in Syria.
Mattis commented during a brief encounter Tuesday with reporters at the Pentagon.
He says the incident is also a reminder of why the U.S. supports the United Nations effort to establish a political process for ending the civil war.
Asked about the Turkey-Russia deal declaring a demilitarized zone around the rebel stronghold Idlib, Mattis suggests that more needs to be done to avert a humanitarian disaster. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the demilitarized zone is to be established by Oct. 15.
AP
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