Syria
US solders patrol an area on the outskirts of Rmelan in Rojava on December 11, 2023. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A pro-Iran militia group on Friday claimed it fired rockets at United States troops based in Hasaka province, northeast Syria (Rojava).
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in a statement on its Telegram channel that it hit US troops at Kharab al-Jir base near the oil-rich town of Rmelan and Shadadi in Hasaka province with rockets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said US troops tried to intercept “rockets and drones” launched by the group.
No casualties have been reported, according to the UK-based watchdog.
The militia group has carried out dozens of drone and rockets attacks on US forces based in Syria and Iraq in response to American support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The US says the attacks have been “largely unsuccessful,” but stressed that it will not hesitate to take action to ensure the safety of its forces if they are threatened.
“While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement after an attack on Tuesday.
The US has carried out several retaliatory precision airstrikes against Iran-linked facilities or groups in Syria and Iraq since the attacks began in October.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2019.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of shadow Iraqi militia groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in a statement on its Telegram channel that it hit US troops at Kharab al-Jir base near the oil-rich town of Rmelan and Shadadi in Hasaka province with rockets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said US troops tried to intercept “rockets and drones” launched by the group.
No casualties have been reported, according to the UK-based watchdog.
The militia group has carried out dozens of drone and rockets attacks on US forces based in Syria and Iraq in response to American support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The US says the attacks have been “largely unsuccessful,” but stressed that it will not hesitate to take action to ensure the safety of its forces if they are threatened.
“While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement after an attack on Tuesday.
The US has carried out several retaliatory precision airstrikes against Iran-linked facilities or groups in Syria and Iraq since the attacks began in October.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition through Operation Inherent Resolve that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and local Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS, which once held swathes of land in Iraq and Syria but was declared territorially defeated in 2019.
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