Al-Tanf
This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (October 2023) |
This article needs to be updated. (October 2023) |
Al-Tanf (Arabic: التَّنْف) is a U.S. military base in an American occupied part of the Homs Governorate, Syria. It is located 24km (15 mi) west of the al-Walid border crossing in the Syrian Desert. The surrounding deconfliction zone is located along the Iraq–Syria border and the Jordan–Syria border. The garrison is located along a critical road known as the M2 Baghdad–Damascus Highway. The Rukban refugee camp for internally displaced Syrians is located within the deconfliction zone.
Al-Tanf التَّنْف | |
|---|---|
5th SFG (A) operators in a landing zone at Al-Tanf, November 2017 | |
Flag | |
| Nickname: 55 KM area | |
The "55 kilometer area": Location of the base in southeastern Syria and its surrounding "deconfliction zone" | |
Al-Tanf Location of Al-Tanf, Syria | |
| Coordinates: 33°30′21″N 38°37′04″E / 33.50583°N 38.61778°E | |
| Country | Syria |
| Governorate | Homs |
| Occupation | United States |
| District | Tadmur |
| Subdistrict | Al-Sabe' Biyar |
| Region | Al-Tanf Pocket (جيب التنف) |
| Established | 3 March 2016[1] |
| Government | |
| • Rebel commander | Muthanna Tala[2] (MaT) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
A significant United States Armed Forces presence at the outpost began in early 2016 during the American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war in order to train anti-Islamic State fighters of the New Syrian Army armed opposition group, which was dissolved and reemerged as the Revolutionary Commando Army (Maghawir al-Thawra) in December 2016. As of 2024, the Al-Tanf base continues to serve as the headquarters for the Revolutionary Commando Army and a contingent of at least 200 U.S. soldiers operating on behalf of the CJTF-OIR Coalition.
Legality edit
The government of Syria[3][4] deems the U.S. military presence in al-Tanf illegal and "considers the presence of Turkish and U.S. troops on its territory as an aggression and demands immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign forces from its territory."[5][6] The Iranian,[7] Russian,[8] and Chinese governments[9] have publicly supported the Syrian government's position, regularly criticizing the American presence in southeastern Syria. China's foreign minister has called on the United States to "respect other countries' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, immediately end the troops' illegal occupation and plundering in Syria."[10][9] In a February 2018 letter, the U.S. justified its occupation by citing the doctrine of collective self-defense as necessary to defend Iraq, the U.S. itself, and other states from IS and other active terrorist groups.[11][non-primary source needed]
The U.S. has called the al-Tanf base a counter to the Russia–Syria–Iran coalition's residual influence in the area.[12][failed verification] Later, in November 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that US troops were in Syria "only for oil".[13][14][15]
After the announced withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said in early 2019 that U.S. operations in the al-Tanf area would continue as a part of the U.S. effort to counter "Iranian influence" in Syria.[12] On 28 January 2019, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi ruled out the prospect of Jordanian forces seizing control of al-Tanf after American ground troops leave Syria. "Al-Tanf is on the other side of the Jordanian border. As I said, Jordan will not cross its border. We will take every measure we have to protect our security...but arrangements on the other side of the border after withdrawal will have to be agreed by all parties, and they have to ensure the safety and security in the area," Safadi said.[16]
Establishment edit
In May 2015, Islamic State militants captured the border checkpoint at Al-Tanf, thus obtaining control over the full length of the Iraq–Syria border. The U.S.-backed New Syrian Army rebel faction captured the al-Tanf post on the Syrian side of the border in early March 2016, and in early August, the al-Waleed checkpoint on the Iraqi side of the border was recaptured by pro-government Iraqi tribal militias backed by U.S.-led forces.[17][18] In August 2016, the BBC published photographs taken in June that year which it said showed British special forces soldiers apparently guarding the perimeter of the al-Tanf base.[19] In March 2017, the Revolutionary Commando Army (the successor of the New Syrian Army) re-opened the border crossing, resuming cross-border civilian traffic; a group referred to as the Army of Iraqi Tribes was said to control the Iraqi side of the crossing.[20]
In April-May 2017, it was reported that US forces (5th Special Forces Group) were training Syrian rebels at Al-Tanf.[21][22]
Attacks edit
On 8 April 2017, IS fighters launched a complex and coordinated attack against the U.S. special forces outpost at al-Tanf.[23][24] IS started the attack by striking the base with a car bomb and then attacking with ~50 infantry. The attack was repelled first by gunfire from the rebels and Norwegian[25] and U.S. special forces, then by airstrikes from the anti-IS coalition which killed most of the IS force and destroyed their vehicles. Rebels stated that four of their fighters and eight IS fighters were killed.[26]
On 18 May 2017, U.S. fighter jets struck a convoy of pro-Syrian government forces advancing towards the base.[27][28] Shortly thereafter, Syrian government forces were reported to continue their advance in a direction the government forces appeared to use advanced Russian-made weapons and were supported by Russian helicopters, according to a report acknowledged on May 26 by the Russian Defence Ministry′s media outlet.[29]
On 17 June 2017, the Iraqi Armed Forces announced that the Iraqi Army and Sunni tribal fighters, supported by U.S.-led Coalition aircraft, had dislodged IS from the Iraqi side of al-Waleed border crossing.[30]
At the end of December 2017, the chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov said that the U.S. garrison at al-Tanf was fully isolated by Syrian government forces following the desert offensive in the area.[32][33]
Around 16 February 2020, an Iranian-backed proxy group reportedly breached the deconfliction zone at Al-Tanf, and were then repelled by Maghawir al-Thawra.[34][35]
On 20 October 2021, the base was attacked by drones, causing no injuries.[36] On 14 December 2021, a RAF Typhoon FGR4 shot down a small hostile drone with an ASRAAM near the base.[37][38]
In June 2022, Russia carried out airstrikes at the al-Tanf garrison U.S. military base, after first notifying the United States of their intentions. U.S. officials said that Russia claimed the Maghawir al-Thawra group had carried out a roadside bomb attack on Russian forces, though the United States does not believe this, and instead believes Russia was just looking for a reason to carry out the airstrikes in the location.[39]
The United States reported a drone attack in the vicinity of the al-Tanf base on the night of 15 August 2022.[40] All but one of the drones were repelled and despite a single drone detonating in a compound used by Maghaweir al-Thowra, the attack did not result in any casualties or damage.[40] Shortly thereafter, the Syrian Foreign Ministry released a statement demanding that "the American side must immediately and unconditionally withdraw its military forces that are present on the territory of Syria illegally".[41]
On 24 August 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes against claimed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after a number of rockets struck near the U.S. military base in al-Tanf on 15 August and an airstrike by the Russian military in an area held by the Syrian opposition. The U.S. strikes targeted eleven bunkers in Deir ez-Zor used to store weapons, according to the United States Central Command.[42][43] A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry denies that Iran has any link to targets hit by U.S. in Syria and condemns the strike as "a violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity".[44][45]
A drone attack on al-Tanf in mid-October 2023 left 15 U.S. soldiers with traumatic brain injury and 2 other soldiers with minor injuries.[46] All injured US personnel had returned to duty by November 12.[47]
On 28 January 2024, a "suicide" drone operation carried out at Tower 22, a military outpost near al-Tanf on the Jordanian border, resulted in 3 U.S. soldiers killed and more than 30 injured.[48] Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia, claimed responsibility for the attack.[49]
Operations edit
By late 2017, Arab media began calling the "deconfliction area" around the Tanf base "the 55 km area" as it composed of a half-circle area with a radius of 55 km with the base at its center. By 2018, the al-Tanf area hosted five rebel factions including the Lions of the East Army, the Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo, the Army of Free Tribes, the Revolutionary Commando Army (also known as Maghawir al-Thawra (MaT)), and Al-Qaryatayn Martyrs Brigade.[50]
On 7 September 2018, United States Central Command announced an Operation Inherent Resolve live fire exercise around the al-Tanf garrison, named Operation Apex Teufelhunden. The announcement described it as a "defeat-ISIS exercise".[51] The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria commented that "during the existence of the base, we don't know of a single U.S. operation against IS [Islamic State, formerly ISIS] in the area."[52]
On 23 October 2019, Maghawir al-Thawra reportedly seized $3.5 million worth of illicit drugs from a smuggler within the DCZ. According to CJTF-OIR, the smuggler hid the drugs under the normal guise of supplies being transported to the Rukban refugee camp. MaT searched the smuggler's truck and found nearly 850,000 Captagon pills. "This is one of the biggest drug busts we have ever had," said Col. Muhanned Tallah, the MaT commander. The coalition linked weapons and drug smuggling within the DCZ to IS underground networks.[53]
On 30 May 2020, the U.S. military published images of special operations forces personnel at al-Tanf training with an advanced Israeli-made Smart Shooter SMASH 2000 "smart" optical sighting system attached to their M4A1 rifles. It remained unclear if special operations units in the region had actually adopted the computerized optic or if the training was part of field trials or another type of demonstration.[54]
Personnel and deployments edit
The U.S. refers to the Revolutionary Commando Army as part of the "Vetted Syrian Opposition". According to the U.S., these fighters are permitted only to launch offensives against IS and not against the Syrian Armed Forces, though clashes with pro-Syrian government elements have occurred.[23][24] By 2019, the CJTF-OIR coalition referred to the area simply as the Deconfliction Zone (DCZ) with the Al-Tanf Garrison (ATG) at the center.[53]
In September 2017, Russian government-owned media outlet RIA Novosti reported, with a reference to unnamed military and diplomatic sources, that the U.S. had voiced readiness to leave Al-Taf but did not say when.[55]
On 8 February 2018, following "an unprovoked attack" by the pro-Syrian government forces in eastern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces and U.S.-led Coalition inflicted multiple casualties among Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova said: "The unlawful U.S. armed presence in Syria presents a serious challenge to the peace process and to the country's territorial integrity and unity. A 55-kilometer zone unilaterally created by Americans around their military base near al-Tanf is being used by the scattered units of ISIS militants" for evading pursuit by government forces and re-grouping.[56] In mid-February 2018, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that U.S. military presence in Syria generally and in the area of al-Tanf specifically "was illegal and unacceptable."[57][58][59]
In August 2018, U.S. State Department representative William V. Roebuck traveled to the cities of Manbij and Kobanî, both situated in Aleppo Governorate, as well as the town of Al-Shaddadah in Hasakah Governorate. He was later due to visit Deir ez-Zor Governorate, half of which is held by the Kurdish-led Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. "We are prepared to stay here, as the president Donald Trump has made clear," he said after meeting with Kurdish officials.[60]
In October 2018, General Joseph Votel, commander of United States Central Command, stated that U.S. forces in Al-Tanf did not "have a counter Iranian mission here. We have a defeat ISIS mission," but nevertheless acknowledged that American presence in the area had "an indirect effect on some malign activities that Iran and their various proxies and surrogates would like to pursue down here."[61]
The Trump administration announced on 22 February 2019 that around 400 U.S. troops would remain in Syria post-withdrawal, with about half garrisoned in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria and half at the al-Tanf garrison.[62] The 200 at al-Tanf were to remain indefinitely.[63]
On 27 February 2019, Syria and Russia released a joint statement again demanding all U.S. forces leave Syria, while also demanding U.S. forces allow Russian and Syrian authorities to evacuate the Rukban refugee camp along the Jordanian border to "relocate people in the Rubkan area and guarantee them safe passage to their places of permanent residence". Russia argued that the U.S. was holding the refugee camp "hostage" and potentially as human shields within the territory.[3][64] According to a 24 March report by the Voice of America, the U.S.-backed Revolutionary Commando Army Syrian rebel group, which maintains aid access and provides security for the Rukban camp, said both refugees and U.S.-backed rebels in the zone depended on U.S. protection against attacks by pro-Syrian government militias and Islamic State-affiliated jihadists. A Rukban camp spokesman asserted that it was the Syrians and Russians that were "embargoing" the camp to force the refugees into reconciliation and to pressure U.S. troops to leave the strategically important al-Tanf military base.[65]
On 4 June 2019, representatives of more than 30 countries participated in a meeting with the command of Operation Inherent Resolve in Kuwait where the issue of stepping up efforts to fight terrorism in Iraq and Syria was discussed.[66] Amid a period of heightened regional tensions with Iran, the Pentagon announced on 18 June that another 1,000 troops will be deployed to the Middle East, presumably including the U.S. base in Syrian al-Tanf.[67]
On 16 April 2020, a number of Syrian rebels at al-Tanf base defected to the Syrian government in a convoy.[68]
In October 2019, in the context of the pullout of American troops from northern Syria, The New York Times reported that the Pentagon was planning to "leave 150 Special Operations forces at a base called al-Tanf".[69]
In 2021, it was reported that, according to "Israeli defense sources", Al-Tanf continued to host around 350 military personnel and civilians, "including some British and French forces that were described as 'intelligence experts'".[70] In August 2022, it was reported that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops in Syria, with most of them split between the al-Tanf base and Syria's eastern oil fields.[40]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "New Syrian Army will 'liberate eastern Syria' from IS". The New Arab. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ Muhammad Ersan (1 June 2017). . Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017.
- ^ a b Matamoros, Cristina Abellan (27 February 2019). "Russia and Syria call for US troops to leave Syria". Euronews. from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Syrian and Russian Coordination bodies: illegitimate U.S. presence in Syria is the main obstacle to returning to normal life in the country". Syrian Arab News Agency. 3 October 2021. from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ shaza (22 December 2017). "Update-al-Jaafari: We demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign forces from Syrian territory". Syrian Arab News Agency. from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
Head of the Syrian Arab Republic delegation to Astana 8 meeting, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, affirmed that the Syrian government considers the presence of Turkish and US troops on its territory as an aggression and demands immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign forces from its territory.
- ^ "Al Tanf garrison: America's strategic baggage in the Middle East". Brookings Institution. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ "Ghasemi: US military presence in Syria illegal, contradicts with international laws". Syrian Arab News Agency. 15 October 2018. from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi stressed that the US presence in Syria without the approval of its government is illegal and completely contradicts with the international laws and resolutions, indicating that Iran fully rejects it.
- ^ shaza (16 November 2017). "Russian Foreign Ministry: US troops presence in Syria illegal". Syrian Arab News Agency. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- ^ a b "China Blasts America's "Illegal" Occupation Of Syria". Gulf Insider. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "China urges U.S. to end illegal occupation, plundering in Syria: FM spokesperson". 11 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Kaine-Trump ISIS War Letters". www.documentcloud.org. Charles Savage; for attestation, see www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/us/politics/isis-syria-american-troops.html. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Bolton Puts Conditions on Plan for Withdrawal From Syria". 7 January 2019.
- ^ Julian Borger (13 November 2019). "Trump contradicts aides and says troops in Syria 'only for oil'". The Guardian. (Video)
- ^ James G. Stewart (5 November 2019). "Trump keeps talking about 'keeping' Middle East oil. That would be illegal". The Washington Post.
- ^ Conor Finnegan (28 October 2019). "'We're keeping the oil' in Syria, Trump says, but it's considered a war crime". ABC News.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
- ^ "Shia militia with international coalition liberate Waleed along Syrian border". 3 August 2016.
- ^ "Iraqi tribal militia seizes strategic border area from Daesh".
- ^ Sommerville, Quentin (8 August 2016). "UK special forces pictured on the ground in Syria". BBC. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
- ^ "Rebels reopen border crossing between Syria, Iraq". Syria Direct. 29 May 2017. from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "US Special Forces Are Secretly Training Syrian Rebels And Fighting Alongside Them".
- ^ "Details emerge about Special Forces base in Syria nearly overrun by ISIS, medals for valor to be awarded".
- ^ a b Woody, Christopher (11 April 2017). "ISIS fighters got inside the wire during a hellish firefight with US Special Ops in Syria". Business Insider. from the original on 13 April 2017.
- ^ a b Dickstein, Corey (10 April 2017). "US forces help repel ISIS attack on southern Syrian base". Stars and Stripes. from the original on 13 April 2017.
- ^ "US-led coalition hits pro-Assad fighters' convoy". Al Jazeera. 19 May 2017. pp. 1–2. from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ Suleiman al-Khalidi (9 April 2017). "Islamic State launches two suicide attacks on U.S.-backed Syrian rebels". Reuters.
- ^ "Syria, Russia condemn U.S.-led strike on pro-Assad forces". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ Ensor, Josie (18 May 2017). "US jets bomb Assad tank convoy advancing on coalition base in Syria". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 September 2018 – via telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Ми-35 ВКС РФ наносит удар по террористам у границ Иордании: видео Zvezda (TV channel), 26 May 2017.
- ^ "Iraqi forces remove Islamic State fighters from vicinity of U.S. base in Syria". Reuters. 17 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Operation Apex Teufelhunden B-Roll". DVIDS. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ США готовят боевиков на базе в Эт-Танфе, рассказали в Генштабе RIA Novosti, 27 December 2017.
- ^ Начальник Генштаба Вооруженных сил России генерал армии Валерий Герасимов: «Мы переломили хребет ударным силам терроризма» Komsomolskaya Pravda, 26 December 2017.
- ^ Snow, Shawn (February 16, 2020). "Iran-backed group launches attack near small garrison in Syria housing American special operators". Military Times.
Maghaweir al-Thowra, an anti-IS U.S.-backed group, operates out of small garrison near the Iraq border. It tweeted Sunday that an Iran proxy launched an attack against its forces and breached the 55 km deconfliction zone that surrounds a small garrison housing American commandos known as al-Tanf. The anti-IS fighters said that they repelled the attack and that the Syrian regime had lost control of its allies – which the MAT described as a "rogue Iranian proxy."
- ^ Maghaweir al-Thowra [@MaghaweirThowra] (February 16, 2020). "New intelligence suggests that #Iranian_proxies operating outside the control of the #Syrian_Regime attacked the Maghaweir Al-Thowra inside the 55km DCZ The Maghaweir Al-Thowra defended itself and repelled the aggressors. The Syrian Regime has lost control of its allies. #Altanf" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Attack hits Syria base that houses US troops; no U.S. injuries". NBC News. Associated Press. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "First air-to-air engagement by RAF Typhoon carried out in Syria". BFBS. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Update: air strikes against Daesh". Ministry of Defence. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021 – via gov.uk.
- ^ "Russia Carries Out Airstrikes On U.S. Base Near Syria's Border With Jordan". Defcon Level Warning System. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ^ a b c Kaufman, Ellie (15 August 2022). "US-led coalition forces repel drone attack near base in Syria". CNN. from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ Bickerton, James (17 August 2022). "Syria demands U.S. withdraw forces "immediately" after rocket strike". Newsweek. from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ Liebermann, Oren; Alkhshali, Hamdi; Bertrand, Natasha; Cole, Devan; Kaufman, Ellie; Callahan, Michael (24 August 2022). "Biden orders airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups in Syria following attacks near base holding US troops last week". CNN. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali (24 August 2022). "U.S. military carries out strike in Syria on Iran-linked targets". Reuters. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Iran denies any link to targets hit by U.S. in Syria". Reuters. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Syria clashes leave US soldier wounded and Iran-backed fighters killed". Middle East Eye. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ Lara Seligman (25 October 2023). "19 U.S. troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury following attacks in Iraq and Syria". Politico. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "US announces fresh strikes on Iran-linked sites in Syria". The Guardian. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "3 US service members killed in Iran-backed drone attack in Jordan". Politico. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Three US service members killed in 'despicable' drone attack in Jordan, Biden says". The Guardian. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Abu layth, Askandar (3 January 2018). "ماذا تعرف عن قاعدة "التنف" الأميركية في سوريا؟". حرية برس Horrya press (in Arabic).
- ^ "OIR Coalition conducts defeat-ISIS exercise in eastern Syria". CENTCOM. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ "За время существования базы Эт-Танф США не проводили операций против ИГ* – РИА Новости". Ria.ru. 2018-01-09. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- ^ a b "Massive $3.5 million drug-bust at At Tanf by Coalition-partnered security force". InherentResolve.mil. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "Special Operators In Syria Are First American Unit To Use Computerized Sights On Their Rifles". The Drive. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "США сообщают о готовности уйти с базы Ат-Танф в Сирии". Kommersant. 20 September 2017.
- ^ О развитии ситуации в Сирии // Брифинг официального представителя МИД России М.В.Захаровой, Москва, 8 февраля 2018 года
- ^ "Exclusive: US forces 'illegally in Syria' Sergey Lavrov tells euronews". Euronews. 16 February 2018. from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with Euronews channel, February 16, 2018". mid.ru. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- ^ США должны закрыть в Сирии зону деконфликтинга в Ат-Танфе, заявил Лавров RIA Novosti, 16 February 2018.
- ^ US force in Syria. "US will 'sell out' Rojava Kurds: Hezbollah chief". Rudaw.
- ^ "Inside the remote U.S. base in Syria central to combating ISIS and countering Iran". NBC News. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "US pushes NATO allies to join observer force in Syria". Fox News. 22 February 2019.
- ^ Mitchell, Ellen (24 February 2019). "Trump backs off total Syria withdrawal". The Hill. from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Russia Claims U.S. Holding Refugee Camp 'Hostage' to Stay in Syria After Donald Trump Changes His Mind Again on Leaving". Newsweek. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ "Displaced Syrians Deny Claims that US Detains Them in Al-Tanf Camp". VOA. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ . Operation Inherent Resolve. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
- ^ Nicole Gaouette. "US sending 1,000 additional troops to Middle East amid Iran tensions". CNN. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
- ^ Szuba, Jared (16 April 2020). "Defectors quit last US-backed rebel group in Syria, head for regime territory". The Defense Post. from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Assad Forces Surge Forward in Syria as U.S. Pulls Back". The New York Times. 14 October 2019.
- ^ "Drone Attack In Syria May Be Warning Of Things To Come". Breaking Defense. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
External links edit
- Video "First Came ISIS, Then Iran: How the Mission at a U.S. Base in Syria Kept Growing". The New York Times. 4 February 2019. from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.