Russia says Syrian army killed 5 US-backed troops

The Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said that a group of rebels driving pickup trucks left the area around Tanf near the Jordanian border and were heading northeast Wednesday when they were spotted by Syrian troops.

The Russian military says Syrian troops have killed five U.S.-trained rebels what is says was a subversive mission.

The Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said that a group of rebels driving pickup trucks left the area around Tanf near the Jordanian border and were heading northeast Wednesday when they were spotted by Syrian troops. It said Friday that five rebels were killed but a few others escaped.

The Russian military said flags and emblems of a rebel group trained by the U.S. instructors in Tanf were found in the trucks along with Western-made jamming devices and propaganda leaflets of the Islamic State group. It said the rebels planned to strike Syrian troops in what it described as a U.S.-sponsored attempt to disrupt Syria peace talks.

Moscow has made similar accusations in the past, which were denied by the U.S.