US service member injured after rockets strike coalition bases in Syria, US official says
The rockets struck two bases in northeast Syria that house US troops. One service member at one of the sites was treated for a minor injury, the official said. At least two more were being evaluated for minor injuries.
Following the rocket attack, US forces returned fire and destroyed three vehicles as well as the equipment used to launch the rockets, the official said. Initial assessments indicate that two or three people involved in carrying out the attacks were killed.
“We’re not going to hesitate to defend ourselves,” said Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, at a briefing to reporters on Wednesday. “We’re not going to tolerate attacks by Iran-backed forces on our forces anywhere in the world, to include in Syria, and we won’t hesitate to protect ourselves and take additional measures as appropriate.”
The strike was intended to target 11 bunkers used for ammunition storage and logistics support by Iranian-backed groups in Syria, Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for US Central Command, said.
But shortly before CENTCOM carried out the strike, the military waved off two more of the bunkers because of a small group of people nearby. In the end, Buccino said the military struck nine bunkers in the complex in eastern Syria.
At the time of last week’s strikes, the coalition did not say who was responsible for either of the attacks
The US maintains approximately 900 troops in Syria, largely split between the At-Tanf base and the country’s eastern oil fields.