U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria were targeted by suspected Iranian-backed militias, and they responded in kind.
The insurgents fired eight rounds of indirect fire at the Green Village base, a Syrian Democratic Forces base with a small coalition presence, on Wednesday. The coalition reported no casualties, though there was minor damage.
The coalition forces responded “swiftly and fired six rounds of artillery” toward where they believe the attack originated from shortly thereafter, according to a statement. They also accused the insurgents of firing the attack from “within civilian infrastructure with no regard for civilian safety.”
“The coalition reserves the right to defend itself and partner forces against any threat and will continue to do everything within its power to protect those forces,” said Maj. Gen. John W. Brennan Jr., the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve. “Our coalition continues to see threats against our forces in Iraq and Syria by militia groups that are backed by Iran. These attacks are a dangerous distraction from our Coalition’s shared mission to advise, assist, and enable partner forces to maintain the enduring defeat of Daesh.”
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Wednesday’s tit for tat came a day after the U.S. military conducted strikes in Syria after indirect fire near the base posed “an imminent threat” to troops.
“Hours before the attack, Coalition forces observed several launch sites of indirect fire rockets that posed an imminent threat in the vicinity of Green Village,” the statement said. “Acting in self-defense, Coalition forces conducted several strikes to eliminate the observed threats.”
Earlier that day, the United States also shot down two drones heading toward Ain al Asad Air Base in Iraq, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said, according to CNN.
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“They clearly are at risk in the region,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Monday, referring to the U.S. troops remaining in Syria and Iraq. “We have consistently been concerned about the threats to our forces in Iraq by militias backed by Iran. That is not a new concern. And I think we’ve seen in just the last few days that there have been acts perpetrated by some of these groups that validate the consistent concern that we’ve had over safety and security of our people.”
While it’s unclear whether the recent attacks are related to the assassination of former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The two-year anniversary of the strike that killed him is this week.
