Coalition Planes Attack Shi’ite Militias in Eastern Syria

Attacks targeted base near al-Mayadeen, wounding several

Coalition warplanes flew over Syrian government territory in eastern Syria on Friday, carrying out attacks against al-Mayadeen, and hitting the base of an unnamed Shi’ite militia in the area.

The base was reportedly evacuated ahead of the attack, and no one was killed. Several militia members were believed to have been wounded, though which militia it is or their nationality aren’t clear.

Early reports, as usual, claimed the target were presumptively “Iranian militiamen.” This is in keeping with past reports on attacks in the area, though of the many Shi’ite militias in Syria, only a tiny handful are from Iran, and this part of Syria would be mostly Iraqis.

It is unusual for the US-led coalition to carry out strikes in this area as well, as attacks in Syria are way down. Israeli warplanes have been attacking militias across Syria, but not coalition members.

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.