Coalition forces in fight for secret base
SYRIA: American warplanes and coalition ground forces have opened fire on Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s soldiers, killing more than 100 in defence of a secret base occupied by US and British troops that they believed was about to come under attack.
The incident is the most serious confrontation yet pitting Kurdish and American soldiers against those of the Assad regime, which is funded and armed by Russia and Iran.
There were unconfirmed reports that Russian ‘‘contractors’’ and Iranian revolutionary guards were also active in the vicinity; a sign of America’s growing competition for influence with the regional powers.
The battle, which threatens to involve Western allies in another complex and protracted Middle Eastern war, was quickly followed by air strikes by US bombers and an artillery bombardment.
The development will alarm critics of US President Donald Trump, who has decided to keep troops in eastern Syria even after the defeat of Isis in an effort to influence the outcome of the Syrian seven-year civil war and rein in Iranian influence.
American and British forces, along with Kurdish militia and local Arab brigades, watched a build-up of Syrian regime troops crossing the River Euphrates near the city of Deir Ezzor on Thursday. The Euphrates has become a key strategic border, negotiated last year as the two sides drove back Isis from different directions, with the Kurds occupying the east of the river and Assad’s troops in the west.
The Syrian Defence Forces (SDF), aligned with the coalition, were initially ordered not to respond until the intentions of the regime troops became clear.
However, when 500 or so of Assad’s troops, backed by artillery, tanks and armoured personnel carriers, began advancing towards a secret coalition military base between the river and the nearby Conoco oil field the SDF and their American allies opened fire.
US bombers joined the fight soon afterwards. British forces are not thought to have been involved. An official in Washington said that ‘‘at least’’ 100 pro-regime fighters were killed.
It is not known how many Western troops occupy the Syrian base but it is understood they include a small number of British special forces who have an ‘‘advise and assist’’ role with the SDF. The US has about 2000 special forces, Marines and artillery unit troops in eastern Syria as a whole. Russia and the Assad regime have reacted angrily to the clashes.
Sana, the Syrian state news agency, called the incident an ‘‘aggression’’ while the foreign ministry wrote a letter of complaint to the United Nations Security Council. Franz Klintsevich, deputy chairman of Russia’s defence and security committee, said: ‘‘The actions of the US coalition do not comply with legal norms. Beyond all doubt, it is unprecedented act of aggression.’’
It is not clear what the regime troops had planned to achieve with their advance on the secret base.
The situation in Syria remains complex, with the US confronting Turkey, a Nato ally, in the north of the country near the town of Manbij.
The Turkish military has vowed to retake the town –which is held by the Kurdish-led SDF and its local Arab allies – once it has completed its battle for the city of Afrin, further west.
US and British forces were introduced in 2014 to support the Kurdish-led troops in their fight against Islamic State.
The Trump administration decreed last month that the US military would stay on, even though Isis was on the run; a decision taken not only to secure the territory against a resurgence of the jihadist network but also to bolster American interests in the region against Iran. – The Times