Contractor For U.S.-Led Coalition Dead, U.S. Serviceperson Injured After Rocket Attack In Iraq (Updated)
The rocket attack in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region has left additional coalition contractors, as well as bystanders, injured.
Tag: Kurds
Turkey Asks America To Send Patriot Missiles To Its Border As Its Troops Die In Syria Airstrikes
The Turkish government has reportedly asked its American counterparts to deploy a pair of Patriot surface-to-air missile system batteries along its southern border with Syria. This news came amid the announcement of the death of two Turkish troops, and the wounding of five more, in an airstrike in northwestern Syria. The request is politically fraught from the start due to a number of factors, including an ongoing spat between Turkey and the United States in part over the former’s purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defense systems and the risks of sparking a wider conflict if American air defenders were to shoot down a Russian combat jet.
Jets Fly Show Of Force During Gunfight Between US And Syrian Troops At Checkpoint (Updated)
U.S. Air Force F-15 combat jets flew a show of force during a standoff between U.S. troops and a mob aligned with Syria’s dictator Bashar Al Assad at a checkpoint, which had spiraled into a brief gunbattle. That skirmish left one Syrian dead and one American with very minor injuries. One of Russia’s military patrols in the area was also on the scene during the shooting, which follows weeks of similar standoffs between U.S. and Russian personnel in northeastern Syria.
Confusion Swirls Over Leaked Notice Of American Withdrawal Of Forces From Iraq (Updated)
There is no official confirmation yet, but reports are emerging that the U.S.-led coalition ostensibly fighting ISIS has begun preparing to withdraw from Iraq. This follows a meeting between Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller earlier today in which the Prime Minister reportedly asked the United States to start these preparations following a vote the day before in Iraq’s parliament ordering the expulsion of American forces from the country.
U.S. Special Ops Soldier Talks To Reporter In Syrian Oil Fields As Mission Remains In Flux
U.S. forces are now patrolling oil and gas-related sites in at least two distinct regions of Syria, including one that is situated close to where Russian personnel aligned with the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad are also operating as part of a deal between Russia and Turkey. This all comes as U.S. forces elsewhere in northern Syria have again found themselves at risk of attack from Turkish-backed forces, though thankfully the artillery fire did not cause any American casualties.
Army National Guard Bradley Fighting Vehicles Are Now In Syria Guarding Oil And Gas Fields
A contingent of Army National Guard M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles is on its way aboard U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft to a forward position in Deir Ez Zor in the eastern portion of that country Syria. This appears to be the first wave of heavy armored forces headed to the area as part of plan, ostensibly aimed at ensuring that ISIS does not regain control of oil and gas fields in that province, which the Pentagon formally announced last week.
Here’s Everything We Know About The Reported U.S. Plan To Send Tanks To Syria (Updated)
The U.S. military is reportedly considering sending a task force equipped with tanks or other armored vehicles to establish an outpost overlooking oil and gas fields in eastern Syria. Where and to what degree the United States intends to maintain a military presence in Syria has been the subject of intense scrutiny and speculation following the start of a major Turkish operation into the northern part of the country two weeks ago, which then precipitated a major American withdrawal.
Satellite Photos Call Into Question Impact Of U.S. Bombing Its Own Syrian Base After Retreat
Satellite imagery that The War Zone has exclusively obtained calls into question the scale, scope, and effectiveness of airstrikes the U.S. military carried out on its own key base in northern Syria. The photos indicate that a substantial portion of U.S.-constructed structures at the site remain intact despite statements that the strikes significantly degraded “the facility’s military usefulness.”
U.S. Airpower Makes Show Of Force To Protect Troops In Syria As Security Situation Unravels
U.S. Air Force F-15 combat jets and U.S. Army AH-64 Apache gunship helicopters conducted a show of force in northern Syria earlier today to brush back Turkish-backed local forces who were getting worrying close to a position that American troops still occupy in the northern part of the country. This came after the U.S. military announced it had completely withdrawn from the strategic northern Syrian city of Manbij, with Syrian regime forces and Russian troops now in control.
U.S. Troops Reportedly Caught Up In Turkish Artillery Attack In Syria (Updated)
Details are still limited, but a report has emerged that U.S. special operations forces working with the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, have found themselves under attack from the Turkish military in northeastern Syria. This incident comes shortly after U.S. Army General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that authorities in Turkey knew where American personnel were situated “down to explicit grid coordinate” in order to avoid such mistakes.