Russia, Syria bombed U.S.-backed fighters in Syria: U.S. general

Russian and Syrian aircraft bombed positions held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Arab Coalition near the Syrian town of al Bab on Tuesday, inflicting casualties, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Wednesday. "Yesterday, we had some Russian aircraft and (Syrian) regime aircraft bomb some villages that I believe they thought were held by ISIS, yet they were actually - on the ground - were some of our Syrian Arab coalition forces," Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told a Pentagon news briefing, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group. The villages were close to al Bab and about 15 or 20 km (10 to 12 miles) from Manbij city, Townsend said.