(CNN) – The U.S. military announced Wednesday it will send F-22 fighter jets to the Middle East this week, citing concerns about the “unsafe and unprofessional behavior” of Russian jets.
“The unsafe and unprofessional behavior of Russian forces is not what we expect from a professional air force. Their consistent violation of agreed air conflict rules increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation,” said US Central Command commander General Michael Corella. Centcom), in a statement.
“We, together with our partners and allies, are committed to promoting security and stability in the region,” he added.
The F-22 belongs to the 94th Fighter Wing from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
The commander of US Central Air Forces, General Alex Krinkiewicz, said in a statement that the fighter jets had been redeployed from Europe.
The move comes with an increase in aggressive Russian airstrikes in the region. While the Russian military continues to fight in Ukraine, the US continues to communicate with Russian aircraft in the Middle East, particularly in and around Syria.
In April, Russian pilots tried to “fight” American planes in Syrian airspace.
In March, General Corella told US lawmakers that there had been “significant progress” in Russia’s aggressive airstrikes.
“There has been an increase in unprofessional and unsafe behavior by Russian aircraft over the past several weeks,” a US Air Force spokesman said. They are highly unprofessional and insecure in their efforts to challenge the coalition’s ongoing efforts to defeat ISIS.
He continued, “In the past, the Russian military command in Syria has been willing to abide by non-agreed terms of engagement.”
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