Russia denies targeting US-backed forces

Russia's Defence Ministry on Sunday rejected allegations it had bombed US-backed militias in Syria, saying its planes only targeted Daesh militants and that it had warned the United States well in advance of its operational plans.

US-backed militias said they came under attack on Saturday from Russian jets and Syrian government forces in Deir Ezzor province, a flashpoint in an increasingly complex battlefield.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting with the US-led coalition, said six of its fighters had been wounded in the strike.

But Major-General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, dismissed the allegations in a statement on Sunday.

Konashenkov said Russian planes had only carried out carefully targeted strikes in the area based upon information that had been confirmed from multiple sources.

The strikes had only hit targets in areas under the control of Daesh, he said.

"To avoid unnecessary escalation, the commanders of Russian forces in Syria used an existing communications channel to inform our American partners in good time about the borders of our military operation in Deir Ezzor," Konashenkov said.

"In the last few days, Russian surveillance and reconnaissance did not detect a single clash between Islamic State and armed representatives of any 'third force' on the eastern bank of the Euphrates," he added.

The SDF is dominated by YPG, which is the armed wing of the PYD. The PYD is the main partner for the US-led coalition against Daesh in Syria.

Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the PKK terror group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state and is considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.