U.S.-backed troops in Syria attacked by unknown force
 

U.S.-backed troops in Syria attacked by unknown force
By Carlo Muñoz - The Washington Times - Friday, May 11, 2018
RE: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...unknown-force/

American-backed paramilitaries battling the Islamic State terror group in Syria came under attack by an “unknown aggressor” Friday, a day after Israeli forces launched a massive attack against pro-regime forces in the country.

Elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF, the loose-knit confederation of Arab and Kurdish militias supported by the U.S. military, came under mortar and artillery fire near the Syrian city of Deir-e-Zour, a known Islamic State redoubt.

“The hostile force engaged the SDF with artillery, and the SDF responded in self-defense, resulting in the destruction of one artillery piece,” officials from Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement Friday. Command officials did not identify who was responsible for Friday’s skirmish, but did note U.S. commanders did reach out to their Russian counterparts “via ground and air deconfliction lines.”

Moscow and Tehran have been the only two international powers to provide military support to the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad, during the ongoing civil war between pro-government troops and rebel factions in the country.

Friday’s attack comes amid growing tensions between the U.S., Iran, Israel and Syria, which have boiled over in recent days.

The attack in Deir-e-Zour comes a day after Israeli warplanes carried out a barrage of airstrikes against military sites in Syria tied to Iranian-backed regime forces in the country Thursday.