Pentagon Discloses Casualties in Syria Attack

The Pentagon has revealed details of the casualties sustained in a recent attack in Syria, underscoring the ongoing conflict in the region.

The Pentagon has disclosed that a drone attack on their northeastern Syrian base resulted in eight US troops being injured. There had been no mention of casualties earlier during the first reports about the strike.

A fire at the Rimelan installation, located near the border of Türkiye and Iraq, may have been initiated by a drone as evidenced in footage shared online last week.

On Tuesday, the US Department of Defense’s spokesperson, Major-General Patrick Ryder, reported to journalists that eight individuals had incurred injuries. These personnel received treatment for both smoke inhalation and “traumatic brain injury.” Furthermore, three among them have already resumed their duties.

Ryder states that the US attributes responsibility for the attack to “Iran-backed forces,” but the Pentagon is currently in the process of identifying which specific militia was involved.

Medical evaluations and damage assessments were ongoing, as an anonymous US official revealed to Reuters on the previous Friday despite initial reports of no injuries caused by the drone strike at Rimelan.

Situated in Syria’s Hasakah governorate, Rimelan is alternatively known as Rmelan and Rumalyn. By the end of 2015 Abu Hajar airport came under US military control and was transformed into a base called the Rumalyn Landing Zone (RLZ) which has served to furnish both American forces and their Kurdish partners with necessary resources for combating Islamic State (IS), previously referred to as ISIS, terrorists.

The year 2014 saw IS seize significant swathes of Syria and Iraq, prompting Iranian and Russian support for Syrian forces with the aim of combatting terrorism. Meanwhile, in a bid to secure control over the eastern region which houses the majority of agricultural land as well as oil reserves across the country, US troops were deployed alongside Kurdish militias.

Despite Damascus’ objections and in violation of international law, Washington has maintained a troop presence of approximately 900 soldiers in Syria. The Pentagon’s stated objective is to prevent the resurgence of IS. Additionally, Kurdish militias that occupy the area with US support have declined to reintegrate into Syria.