British special forces troops injured in Isil attack in Syria

TWO British special forces soldiers have been seriously injured in a missile attack by Isil fighters in Syria.

The pair were hurt in the strike by militants near Deir Ezzor, in the east of the country, where British special forces have been operating alongside American troops.

The Sunday Telegraph understands the incident occurred yesterday morning and that the soldiers were airlifted from the scene by US forces for medical treatment.

Rudaw news, a Kurdish outlet, reported that the soldiers were at a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) base in the area when the attack took place. It was also reported that a Kurdish fighter was killed in the missile attack.

An SDF official said: “Due to a smart missile attack… a fighter of the YPG was killed and another wounded, in addition to two British soldiers.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We do not comment on special forces operations.”

The incident comes a year after the death of an SAS solider in Syria.

Sergeant Matt Tonroe was killed in March 2018 while embedded with US forces when they were caught by an explosion.