US Central Command has said that US forces shot down a drone on Tuesday that was flying near a US base in northeast Syria.
CENTCOM claimed the drone was Iranian-made and said the incident took place at the Mission Support Site Conoco, a US base next to the Conoco gas fields in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province.
As part of its occupation of eastern Syria, the US and its Kurdish allies control most of Syria’s oil and gas resources. President Trump famously said in 2019, after he reversed his decision to withdraw from Syria, that troops would stay to “keep the oil.”
The US occupation of eastern Syria risks a wider war as bases housing US troops in the country frequently come under attack. Rockets were fired at Mission Support Site Conoco last month, but there were no casualties.
On top of the occupation of eastern Syria, the US maintains crippling economic sanctions on Syria designed to prevent the country from rebuilding. The US issued a 180-day sanctions exemption for transactions related to relief efforts after a devastating earthquake, but UN experts say it isn’t enough and are calling for all Western sanctions to be lifted.
Well, at least it wasn’t a balloon.
I’m wondering what they shot the drone down with and whether it cost $450.000 per round. So there probably was some money saved too.
Somebody missed a “tremendous opportunity” just by moving around few words. “US Shoots Down Drone Near Occupied Gas Field in Syria” could have been: “US Shoots Down Drone Full of Poison Gas in Syria.” We could have been bombing the Syrian people while they’re suffering from the catastrophic earthquake! Blinken’s response: “We missed a tremendous opportunity.” (Sarcasm alert)
“Mission Support Site Conoco, a US base next to the Conoco gas fields”
We not only do it, we rub their noses in it.
This must be one of those times where we had to extend our “self-defense” to 7,000 miles from our borders. We’re unique that way. Now if anyone else thinks they have the same right, we’ll bribe us up a coalition and bomb the shit out of them. We’re unique that way.
Had they flown the drone at an extremely low altitude, they could have avoided detection. But unlike the Israelis, Iranians don’t have great drone operators.
Had they flown the drone at an extremely low altitude, they could have avoided detection. But unlike the Israelis, Iranians don’t have great drone operators.