The US-led coalition struck Syrian pro-government forces, which the US say includes Iranian-backed Shia militias, on Thursday near its training base at At Tanf.
They also shot down an armed drone outside its deconfliction zone.
U.S. conducted strikes against two technical vehicles that we were assessed to be posing a threat to #Coalition forces at At-Tanf garrison.
— OIR Spokesman (@OIRSpox) June 8, 2017
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A coalition spokesman told reporters that US aircraft shot down a drone that fired on coalition forces patrolling with partner forces in southern Syria.
A previous airstrike close to At Tanf on Tuesday has already been condemned by Damascus and Moscow.
RT reports:
“U.S. conducted strikes against two technical vehicles that we were assessed to be posing a threat to Coalition forces at At-Tanf garrison,” Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon tweeted.
“Today was the third set of kinetic strikes the U.S. conducted in response to threats posed to Coalition forces operating out of At Tanf. The Coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime or pro-regime forces. However, we remain ready to defend ourselves against any threat,” said Dillon, deploying the same language that was used to explain the strikes on May 18 and June 6.
Despite broad similarities with previous incidents, there were key differences. Dillon said that a US patrol went outside the 55km deconfliction zone, when it was fired on by a drone belonging to pro-government forces analogous to the US MQ-1, which it then destroyed.
Syria does not recognize US deconfliction zones inside its sovereign territory. While the US previously said that Russia approved a safe zone outside At Tanf, where American forces are training anti-Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militias, this week Moscow said that “unilaterally-declared” deconfliction zones are “illegitimate.”
Dillon said that the second strike earlier on Thursday was against a weapons-laden pickup truck near the training base, where several hundred US personnel are stationed. Its allegiance was not specified and no casualties were sustained by coalition forces in either incident.
Earlier this week, the coalition began a full-scale assault on Raqqa, the Islamic State “capital”, located to the north of At Tanf, which is likely to take months. Despite rising diplomatic tension, US troops are unlikely to leave at least until its fall.
“Coalition forces have been located at At Tanf for more than a year. The garrison is a temporary Coalition location to train vetted forces to defeat ISIS and will not be vacated until ISIS is defeated,” said a statement from the US Central Command.
Niamh Harris
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“anti-Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militias…* I feel sorry for these guys!! They must be very confused.
One day they are ISIS, the next they are anti-ISIS. They are probably thinking; “Which way do we shoot TODAY?!” Anyway, what god-given right does the US think they have in attacking a country half ‘way around the world? Just because that country does not want a pipeline crossing their territory without SOME benefit for that nation’s people, does not give the US the right to perpetrate this unjust hostility. Threatening a base that shouldn’t BE there in the first place – ridiculous arguement! And don’t tell me it’s because Assad is a “bad” person. The US military kills more people around the world than he does. Trump is a good negotiator. He should use THAT talent, not his military to settle this.
Good they deserve it. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/77c666ebafaea744af5fa7cc53de96bf5c1f0a1bfe643d7237797d8e2652e616.gif