(CNN) Amid what it sees as an increase in unsafe behavior by the Russian military, the US military is concerned it might have to shoot down a Russian aircraft over Syria if the Russian plane is seen as a threat to US or coalition forces fighting ISIS. "The greatest concern is that we could shoot down a Russian aircraft because its actions are seen as a threat to our air or ground forces," said Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, the spokesman for US Air Forces Central Command. "As coalition leaders have repeatedly said, we're here to fight ISIS -- not the Russians or anyone else," he added. The concern comes as the US military has accused Russia and Syrian regime aircraft of violating policies that were agreed to by the United States and Russia to prevent such accidents. "We saw anywhere from six to eight incidents daily in late November, where Russian or Syrian aircraft crossed into our airspace on the east side of the Euphrates River," Pickart said.

Source: CNN December 09, 2017 03:56 UTC