A LOOK AT THE U.S. MISSION IN SYRIA AND ITS DANGERS
When an Iranian drone struck a U.S. base in northeastern Syria, killing a contractor and wounding several U.S. troops, it was just the latest in a growing number of attacks on American forces in Syria. But its lethality was rare. In most recent cases, no U.S. forces have been hurt in such attacks.
The drone strike on Thursday set off a series of retaliatory bombings.
American troops have been in Syria since 2015, but the latest casualties highlight what has been a consistent, but often quiet, U.S. counterterrorism mission, aimed at countering Iranian-backed militias and preventing the resurgence of the Islamic State group.
A look at the U.S. troop presence in Syria.
It began with Islamic State
On any given day there are at least 900 U.S. forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors. U.S. special operations forces also move in and out of the country, but are usually in small teams and are not included in the official count.
They are trying to prevent any comeback by the Islamic State group, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.
For years, the U.S. and its coalition allies battled the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, partnering with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. By 2019, the U.S. declared the Islamic State caliphate destroyed, but remnants of the group remain a threat, including about 10,000 fighters held in detention facilities in Syria and tens of thousands of their family members living in refugee camps.
U.S. forces advise and assist the SDF and they also conduct counterterror missions against the Islamic State group and other alQaeda-affiliated militants, and carry out strikes on Iran-backed militias that have attacked U.S. facilities.
Iran’s influence
Tehran’s political influence and militia strength throughout the region have created a security concern for the U.S. Since the defeat of the Islamic State group, Iran-backed fighters have expanded their influence in the region.
The presence of American forces in Syria makes it more difficult for Iran to move weapons into Lebanon, for use by its proxies, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, against Israel.
For example, the al-Tanf garrison in southeastern
Syria is located on a vital road that can link Iranianbacked forces from Tehran all the way to southern Lebanon — and Israel’s doorstep. So troops at the U.S. garrison can disrupt what could be an uncontested land bridge for Iran to the eastern Mediterranean.
Previous skirmishes
One of the deadliest flare-ups between the U.S. and Iran-backed groups occurred in December 2019, when U.S. military strikes in Iraq and Syria killed 25 fighters and wounded others from the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah Iraqi militia. The U.S. said the strike was in retaliation for the killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that it blamed on the group.
In August 2022, the U.S. carried out strikes targeting Iran-backed militias in Deir el-Zour province. The Pentagon said the attacks were meant to send a message to Iran, which the U.S. blamed for drone attacks, including one that targeted the al-Tanf garrison. That base was hit in January, when three suicide drones struck, wounding two Syrian opposition fighters. The U.S. said Iran-backed groups were responsible.