Three US troops were wounded in rocket attacks in Syria on Wednesday that came after the US launched airstrikes in the country, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The rocket attacks targeted the US base at Green Village and the Conoco gas fields, which are both located in eastern Syria. CENTCOM said one service member was treated for a minor wound while two other soldiers are under evaluation for minor injuries.
The US responded to the rocket attacks by launching strikes from Apache helicopters against three vehicles. CENTCOM said that “two or three suspected Iran-backed militants” were killed by the helicopter strikes.
The airstrikes that started the escalation were announced by CENTCOM on Tuesday night and hit targets in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. CENTCOM claimed the strikes targeted “infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” but Iran has denied that it has links to the groups the US targeted.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Tuesday night strikes targeted facilities used by a group known as Fatimiyoun, an Afghan Shia militia. SOHR said at least six Syrian and other militants were killed in the US airstrikes, while Deir Ezzor 24, another monitoring group, said at least 10 people were killed in the bombings.
CENTCOM said that President Biden ordered the strikes and claimed they were done in self-defense and justified by Article II of the Constitution. But the US can’t claim self-defense in Syria since its military presence in the country is an illegal occupation that the Syrian government opposes.
The airstrikes against an alleged Iran-linked group came as the US and Iran appear close to a deal to revive the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA. Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said Wednesday that the strikes show the US will launch attacks against such groups regardless of the status of the JCPOA.
“What the strikes last night illustrated is that our commitment to push back against Iran’s support for terrorism, militancy and the threats that they engage in against our people in the region or elsewhere are not linked to wherever we end up on the nuclear deal,” he said.
What exactly are we doing there? Time to bring them home.
Stealing Oil and Food that belongs to Syrian people…!
The same Self Defense crap the zionist used against Syria…! Israel thought Biden well on manifesting lies…!
This administration seems to think that the rule of law applies to everyone, 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 this administration and one friend in particular. Biden should consider the old saying “friends come and go”. But enemies linger.
It is sad that few people saw this side of him when he was running for office.
This wont change with one administration over another. Crippling Syrian economy was always the agenda. But these attacks help identify the soft spot of these four thousand troops stationed near the oil fields.
four thousand US troops stationed near the oil fields.
right then. just like the US troops that were stationed near the opium poppy fields in afghanistan
This is sickening. I am a retired US Army Officer, and it hurts me to say this, but I have ZERO confidence that 1) we are correctly reporting our casualties, 2) we have any real idea who struck us, or 3) we have any confidence that we actually hit the people who hit us, and I am completely confident that our pentagon and state spokes shills realize that too, simply don’t care and are lying through their teeth
Of course they do not know nor care who actually attacked them. Explanations always come in a form of narrative that justifies whatever the plan du jour may be.
Even if all the groups are exactly as they say, you can’t “defend” occupied territory against the country it belongs to. An invader remains an invader regardless of how they wish to label their invasion.
Mealy mouth mush from a B grade checker team up against chess masters;
“What the strikes last night illustrated is that our commitment to push back against Iran’s support for terrorism, militancy and the threats that they engage in against our people in the region or elsewhere are not linked to wherever we end up on the nuclear deal,”
“two or three suspected Iran-backed militants” were killed by the helicopter strikes
They don’t actually know who or even how many they murdered. It’s like a random lynching. At least the Klan knew who they were stringing up.
Poor guys. /sarc
They should be thanking their lucky stars they weren’t under a Russian artillery bombardment.
“What the strikes last night illustrated is that our commitment to push back against Iran’s support for terrorism, militancy and the threats that they engage in against our people in the region or elsewhere are not linked to wherever we end up on the nuclear deal,” he said.
Let’s take this guy at his word and say it was Iranian backed militias. Their side (invited) shoots at our side (uninvited). Our side (uninvited) wildly retaliates by doing airstrikes on their side (invited). Our side (uninvited) calls what we did “self-defense” and calls their side (terrorists). All the while maintaining a straight face I would imagine. Luckily for him, there were no six graders present to question his logic.
Well said, it almost reads like a movie script!
Again, the U.S. is in a country they have no business being in, and their presence is only increasing conflict, something the U.S. military seems to excel at.
You know, I have a great deal of sympathy for innocent victims of bombardments, but…these troops were legitimate military targets. They were sent to Syria illegally, with no authorization. Anyone who doesn’t know by now what the US is up to, particularly the military, has no excuse. As the marching cadence I used to sing goes, “Re-up, re-up, you’re crazy, re-up, re-up, you’re out of your mind!” Get out while you still have your limbs, your brain, and your life.
US Troops Died in Rocket Attacks in Syria After US Airstrikes