A USA -led coalition sent aircraft into northeastern Syria on Thursday to protect American special operation ground forces from attacks by Syrian government jets, a Pentagon official said on Friday.
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The YPG and Syrian government forces have mostly left each other to their own devices in the conflict, during which Kurdish groups have exploited the collapse of state control to establish autonomy across much of the country’s north.
It was apparently the first time the coalition had scrambled jets in response to a regime action, and possibly the closest call yet in terms of Syrian forces coming close to killing American or coalition advisers. “We’ve not seen the regime take this kind of action against YPG before”, he said, using an acronym for Syrian Kurdish forces. The Americans at that point made it clear through the Russians that the United States would “take whatever action is necessary” to defend US forces on the ground if the strikes continued. There was a small number of U.S. Special Operators acting as advisers to the YPG when the Syrian airstrikes began. “No weapons were fired by the coalition fighters”.
Syrian government forces have been bombing Kurdish-controlled portions of Hassakeh in recent days, and scores of residents have fled the city.
Syrian air force Su-24s made by Russian Federation departed the areas over the contested city of Hasakah before the US warplanes arrived but Pentagon officials made clear that the Syrians would risk attack if they returned.
These warnings do not seem to have been heard because the planes of the Syrian regime have struck again on Friday areas held by Kurdish forces in Hasaka.
A Kurdish journalist who is in Hassakeh, Heybar Othman, told the BBC that it was the first time the Syrian government had used air power against the city.
As soon as Thursday’s strike began, ground forces tried to hail pilots via radio – to no avail.
Syrian regime warplanes bombarded the northeastern city of Hasakeh for the second day on Friday, targeting positions held by Kurdish forces, a monitor and a journalist in the city said.
The United States sent jets to protect its troops and Kurdish allies from Syrian airstrikes.
None of the USA or coalition troops were injured or otherwise impacted Thursday by the Syrian airstrikes, Davis said.
A direct clash between US forces and Syria’s military would have led to unpredictable consequences, given Mr. Assad’s alliance with Iran and Russian Federation. While he would not specify from where the US aircraft were launched, the United States maintains a contingent of F-15 fighter jets at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.
U.S. President Barack Obama has authorized the deployment of up to 300 U.S. special operations forces to Syria to work with the Syrian Democratic Forces.
“There were heavy clashes, artillery fire and rocket attacks throughout the night and ongoing in the morning”, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
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Separately, two Russian ships in the Mediterranean launched long-range cruise missiles against jihadist targets in Syria on Friday, the Russian defence ministry said.
