US-led Coalition Bombs Pro-Syrian Gov’t Forces Near al-Tanf for 3rd Time

The US-led coalition has attacked pro-Syrian government forces and shot a drone near the Syrian town of al-Tanf in southern Syria for the third time, the coalition spokesman said.

On May 18, the US-led coalition struck pro-Assad fighters near the town of al-Tanf in the area of an established deconfliction zone with Russia. The coalition strikes occurred near al-Tanf, where US’ and British special operations forces have been training Syrian rebel fighters near the border with Iraq and Jordan. Russia slammed the move as a violation of international law.

On June 6, the Pentagon announced the coalition conducted a new strike on pro-Syrian government forces as they entered the de-confliction zone with Russia and posed threat to its personnel. The force comprised of a tank, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons, armed technical vehicles and more than 60 soldiers. A Syrian source told Sputnik on Tuesday that at least two Syrian servicemen were killed and more than 15 injured as a result of the coalition attack.

On June 8, the coalition said that a pro-Syrian government drone was allegedly used in an attempted attack on the coalition forces to the east from the deconfliction zone. The spokesman said that the alleged drone’s attack didn’t lead to any coalition casualties, though.

The coalition’s strikes targeted pick-up trucks with weapons and the drone, the spokesman, US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, specified.

“In southern Syria, this morning the United States conducted strikes against two technical vehicles, pickup trucks with weapons that were assessed to be posing a threat to coalition and partnered forces based at At Tanf [al-Tanf] garrison,” Dillon stated.

The coalition spokesman alleged that the combat drone reminding MQ-1 firing on the US-led coalition forces has been the first time pro-Damascus forces “attacked” the coalition near the deconfliction zone.

“The United States also shot down a suspected pro-regime drone that fired on coalition forces conducting patrols outside of the deconfliction zone to the east. There are no coalition casualties,” Dillon told reporters.

The United States and Russia signed the bilateral memorandum of understanding in October 2015 to ensure their flight safety during combat missions over Syria.