U.S. Accuses Russia of 'Pouring Gasoline on Fire' With Syria Airstrikes

The U.S. has accused Russia of "pouring gasoline on the fire" after the European country entered the fray of the ongoing Syrian civil war this week with a series of airstrikes.

Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter accused Russia of "pouring gasoline on the fire" by carrying out airstrikes this week, arguing that despite the country's motives, the U.S. will continue to target Islamic State strongholds in Syria.

"I think what [Russia is] doing is going to backfire and is counterproductive," Carter said in a statement.

While Russia has claimed that its recent airstrikes are targeting Islamic State strongholds, critics of the country and its leader, Vladimir Putin, have argued that the airstrikes are instead targeting opponents of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, who has been engaged in a years-long civil war in the country.

While Putin has suggested that Russia is an ally of al-Assad and that the Syrian leader should be included in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State, the U.S. has described al-Assad as a "tyrant" who must be removed from power in order for Syria's civil war to end.

When addressing the United Nations recently, U.S. President Barack Obama said that al-Assad is a "tyrant" who must be stopped, suggesting that the U.S. would be open to partnering with countries like Russia and Iran to end the Syrian crisis.

"We must recognize that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the prewar status quo," the president said during his annual United Nations address.