SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A rocket attack on a base in eastern Syria injured four U.S. personnel, the U.S.-led Coalition forces said on Thursday.
In a statement, the coalition said two rounds of “indirect fire” hit support buildings at the Green Village in eastern Syria, according to Reuters.
The service members were being evaluated for minor injuries and possible traumatic brain injuries, it added.
An investigation was underway, the coalition said.
U.S. forces have deployed into Syria during the campaign against Islamic State, partnering with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) led by the Kurdish forces.
Reuters cited a tribal source as saying that several rockets were fired by an Iran-backed militia, and two landed in the area of al Omar oil field where U.S. forces are based in Deir al-Zor province, near the Iraqi border.
Iran-backed militias have established a foothold in Syria while fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s 11-year-long war.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rockets had been fired after midnight at the base from an area where Iran-backed militias exercise influence.
U.S. troops came under rocket fire in the same area last year, in apparent retaliation for U.S. air strikes against Iran-aligned militia in Syria and Iraq.
Iranian-backed militias are heavily concentrated west of the Euphrates in Deir al-Zor province, where they get supplies from Iraq through the al-Bukamal border crossing.
*This story was updated at 12:11 a.m. EBL time on Friday
