Inching closer to WW3: British pilots given ‘green light’ to shoot down Russian planes in Syria
International Business Times last week, the British
government substantially raised the stakes in the Syrian civil war:
Without much fanfare, London gave its air force pilots the authority to
shoot down any Russian warplanes that threaten them.
The Times, in its online edition, noted that, as relations between the West and Russia continue to sour amid competing interests in
war-torn Syria, RAF (Royal Air Force) pilots were given approval to
engage any Russian jets that they perceive as an immediate threat as
they fly missions in support of rebels battling President Bashar
al-Assad’s regime. Russia, meanwhile, is supporting Assad.
The Times notes that the approval to engage Russian warplanes puts the UK and Russia “one step closer” to being at war.
