Washington (AFP) - Russia bombed US-backed fighters in southern Syria, according to a US official in Washington, who said the aggressive action by Moscow raises "serious concern."

"Today, Russian aircraft conducted a series of air strikes near al-Tanf against Syrian Counter-ISIL forces that included individuals who have received US support," said the senior defense official, who requested anonymity.

"Russian aircraft have not been active in this area of southern Syria for some time, and there were no Syrian regime or Russian ground forces in the vicinity," the official said.

It was not known how many fighters were struck and the extent of casualties or which group they belonged to.

The US military launched a $500 million program in early 2015 to train entire units of "moderate" Syrians to fight Islamic State jihadists.

But the program drew heavy fire last fall after admitting the efforts had floundered, with numbers of trainees falling massively short of the planned 5,000.

One group even handed over ammunition and other gear to a local Al-Qaeda affiliate, known as the Al-Nusra Front.

Since then, the Pentagon's new strategy is to work with just a handful of members from each fighting group, instead of an entire unit.

Much of the attention is being focused on the Syrian Democratic Forces, a largely Kurdish coalition that has scored some significant gains against IS jihadists.

The CIA has also been involved in training Syrian rebels, though the secretive agency has not officially provided any details of its efforts.

The bombing would likely further strain already testy ties between Moscow and Washington on the Syrian issue.

"Russia's latest actions raise serious concern about Russian intentions. We will seek an explanation from Russia on why it took this action and assurances this will not happen again," the defense official said.

Russia and the United States co-chair a 22-nation group that supports a UN-led process to end Syria's five-year civil war through a negotiated deal.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russia and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to respect a fragile ceasefire, warning that Washington's patience was running out.

World powers have failed to turn the cessation of hostilities, in effect since February 27, into a durable truce and Damascus has stepped up its military campaign against the Islamic State group and rebels, especially in the city of Aleppo.

The United States has accused Russia of working to consolidate the regime of Assad, its ally, and continuing to attack the opposition.

The five-year war has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

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Washington (AFP) - Dozens of US diplomats think America should launch military strikes against the Syrian government, according to a State Department document, breaking ranks with President Barack Obama's policy on the bloody civil war.

The so-called "dissent channel" cable urges attacks against Bashir al-Assad's regime for its persistent violations of a shaky ceasefire aimed at bringing an end to the five-year conflict.

It emerged as Russian forces bombed US-backed militia in Syria, highlighting the tangle of alliances in a war where Moscow is working to prop up its chief regional partner.

The cable, signed by working-level diplomats, demands "a judicious use of stand-off and air weapons", according to the New York Times, and lays bare the divisions in Washington policy circles.

With only seven months left in office and a clear aversion to getting bogged down in Middle East conflicts, Obama has shown little appetite for such action.

But the administration's alternative policy -- to work with Russia to secure a ceasefire in Syria's five-year civil war and talks on a political transition -- has made little headway.

That policy received a further blow when Assad's Russian allies launched raids in southern Syria, according to the Pentagon.

"Today, Russian aircraft conducted a series of airstrikes near al-Tanf against Syrian Counter-ISIL forces that included individuals who have received US support," said a senior US defence official who requested anonymity.

ISIL is an alternative name for the Islamic State Group.

"Russia's latest actions raise serious concern about Russian intentions. We will seek an explanation from Russia on why it took this action and assurances this will not happen again.‎"

Washington and Moscow have publicly vowed to work together to persuade Assad to negotiate a settlement with his opponents, but the US has frequently expressed exasperation about what it sees as Russia's less-than-fulsome commitment.

- Barrel bombs -

US policy on Syria has been criticised for ineffectiveness, after five years of brutal internecine fighting that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and sent many more fleeing.

American forces are engaged in Syria but are assisting local militias to fight the Islamic State jihadist group, not confronting Assad's Russian and Iranian-backed forces.

The State Department cable says Assad's continued violation of a countrywide partial ceasefire -- a cessation of hostilities -- that was negotiated in February, meant a political settlement was untenable, the Times reported.

Without consequences for the violations, the regime will feel no compunction to talk with moderate opponents, the cable said, with their barrel bombing of civilians the "root cause of the instability that continues to grip Syria and the broader region."

There were more barrel bombs in rebel areas of Aleppo on Thursday.

At least four civilians were killed in the fresh violence, three on the eastern side of Aleppo and one in the west, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

That came hours after US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Moscow that Washington's patience was running out over breaches of the nationwide ceasefire.

The Wall Street Journal said 51 mid- to high-level senior State Department officials signed the memo submitted via the "dissent channel", which allows diplomats who disagree with official policy to lodge concerns without fear of retribution.

"We are aware of a dissent channel cable written by a group of State Department employees regarding the situation in Syria," State Department spokesman John Kirby told AFP.

"We are reviewing the cable now, which came up very recently," he added.