SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A U.S. outpost in southern Syria was attacked on Wednesday, but U.S. officials said no American troops were injured or killed.
One of the officials said it was believed to have been a drone attack, according to Reuters. The officials noted that it was too early to say who was responsible for the attack.
The Associated Press reported that the attacks appeared to include two drone strikes and a small number of rockets.
One American official told AP that one of the drone strikes hit the U.S. side of the al-Tanf garrison, while one may have hit the side where Syrian opposition forces are based.
The garrison is located in a strategic area near Syria’s Tanf border crossing with Iraq and Jordan.
U.S. and Coalition troops are stationed at al-Tanf to train Syrian opposition forces on patrols to counter Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
It was first set up when ISIS fighters controlled eastern Syria bordering Iraq but since the militants were driven out, it is seen as part of the larger U.S. strategy to contain Iran’s military reach in the region.
Tanf is the only position with a significant U.S. military presence in Syria outside the Kurdish-controlled north.
While it is not common for attacks on the U.S. troops at the outpost, Iranian-backed forces have frequently attacked American troops with drones and rockets in eastern Syria and Iraq.
