A drone attack claimed by Iranian-backed militia on a US base in eastern Syria has resulted in the deaths of at least six Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The drone strike targeted a US Coalition base at the al-Omar oilfield in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, killing at least six US-backed Kurdish fighters. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led coalition that has been a key ally of the US in the fight against Islamic State (IS) jihadists, confirmed the casualties, with a further 18 fighters wounded. The attack was claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a coalition of pro-Iran fighters, as a reprisal for US airstrikes conducted last week targeting the group in response to its involvement in a previous drone strike that killed three US soldiers in Jordan.
The al-Omar oilfield serves as the largest US-led coalition base in Syria, housing about 900 US troops as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. This coalition was established in 2014 to counter the IS threat that had seized large territories in Iraq and Syria. Despite significant military efforts, the region remains a hotbed of insurgency and proxy warfare, with Bashar al-Assad’s regime, supported by Russia and Iran, still not in control of large parts of Syria due to the civil war that began in 2011.
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