A coordinated attack on a small U.S. base in al Tanf, Syria, on Wednesday resulted in no U.S. injuries or deaths, according to U.S. officials.
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“We can confirm that the al-Tanf garrison area was subjected to a deliberate and coordinated attack. Based on initial reports, the attack utilized both unmanned aerial systems and indirect fire. All U.S. personnel have been accounted for, and we are not aware of any injuries to U.S. personnel at this time,” U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, CENTCOM spokesman, told the Washington Examiner on Thursday.
“We continue to maintain all appropriate force protection measures to ensure the safety and security of our forces,” he added. “We maintain the inherent right of self-defense and will respond at a time and place of our choosing.”
Iraqi security sources told Reuters five booby-trapped drones were deployed and that the attack was carried out from inside the country.
It remains unclear who carried out the attack, and no one has claimed responsibility as of publication. It’s also unclear whether any local Syrian forces were injured or killed in the attack.
U.S. and coalition forces are based at the al-Tanf garrison to train Syrian opposition forces to counter Islamic State militants.
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The base is located near the Jordanian-Syrian border. It is the only U.S. military base in Syria not located in the Syrian Kurdish-held areas in eastern Syria.
