US Denies Drone Strike on Militia Truck in Eastern Syria

Claims an 'increase of disinformation released by adversaries'

US military officials issued a statement denying reports of a US drone strike against an Iraqi militia’s truck in eastern Syria. The military claims it is an attempt to spread disinformation and discredit the US.

The attack was reported Sunday by both Syria’s state media and the militia Ketaib Sayyid al-Shuhada. They reported that a US drone attacked and destroyed the truck, which was hauling food at the time. They also reported that there were no casualties.

The story tracked, because the militia, nominally a “pro-Iran militia,” was one of the Iraqi factions the US had attacked recently to “deter Iran.” The US hadn’t commented on the attack, which was unusual, and now they say it didn’t happen.

This may suggest a misunderstanding of what happened, or may simply reflect the US trying to control the narrative and avoid any backlash for hitting a truck full of food.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.