SOHR: Attack On US Military Base In Syria An Attempt To ‘erode’ Efforts To Defeat ISIS

The US-backed Maghaweir al-Thowra forces on Monday repelled multiple drones near the US-led coalition AT-Tanf base in Syria. No casualties or damage were reported, confirmed by the Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve, an international coalition working towards eliminating the remains of the ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria. During the fight, the US-led coalition troops managed to strike down all the drones except one that attacked near the At-Tanf base.

Such attacks undermine “significant efforts by our partner forces to maintain the lasting defeat of ISIS,” said Maj Gen John Brennan, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve, who added, “Such attacks put the lives of innocent Syrian civilians at risk.” He further said, “Coalition personnel retain the right to self-defense, and we will take appropriate measures to protect our forces,” reported CNN Politics

Drones attack Syrian base of US-led coalition

Col Joe Buccino, director of public affairs for United States Central Command, stated, that they are capable of protecting our troops and coalition forces. “We have confidence in our ability to protect our troops and coalition partners from attacks from the air.” The statement further said, “Our countermeasures are effective.” Coalition forces “successfully engaged one” drone, “preventing its impact,” the release further informed. Other drones that attempted to attack “were not successful.”

The strikes occurred after Israeli airstrikes on western and central Syria killed three soldiers, injured three others and caused material damage. A Syrian opposition war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Israeli strikes hit Syrian army positions where Iran-backed fighters are based.

However, this is not the first time, earlier also the Iranian-backed forces have attacked US troops in Syria and Iraq. As many as 900 US troops are currently based in Syria, and the forces have been divided between the AT-Tanf base and the country’s eastern oil fields, near the Syrian border with Jordan which is a 20-square-mile deconfliction zone established by Russia and the US-led coalition to prevent the two sides from entering into accidental contact. The region has witnessed a series of brutal warfare between the US forces and ISIS.