“We view instances that place coalition personnel at risk with the utmost seriousness, and we do have the inherent right of self-defense”, Capt. Davis said.
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Thursday’s government raids were the first time the regime had bombarded Kurdish positions from the air.
Hasakah’s population, swelled by displaced Syrians fleeing areas that fell under DAESH control, is broadly divided along ethnic lines, with Kurds mainly in the city’s eastern neighbourhoods and Arabs in the southern parts. Thursday’s airstrikes and the attempted flyover by Syrian fighter jets on Friday both occurred in the general area where American special operations forces train and partner with the Kurdish forces against ISIS.
The American aircraft are part of the beefed-up USA air combat patrols in the area that the Pentagon had announced following Thursday’s attack.
For the second time in two days, Syrian fighter jets on Friday attempted to fly over a Kurdish-held area of northeastern Syria where USA special operations troops are operating, but flew away after being met by American F-22 fighters.
Dozens killed in fierce fighting across Syria was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on August 22, 2016 and was last updated on August 22, 2016. The YPG has controlled most of Hasaka city since previous year. According to US officials, the American forces were moved to a safer position after the attack, but weren’t pulled entirely from the theater.
“This is very unusual, we have not seen the regime take this type of action against YPG before”, Davis said, using the initials of the US-supported Kurdish militia fighting the Islamic State group in northern Syria.
The Kurdish forces also seized control of the central prison located in Ghweiran, said the Observatory.
Regime forces and PKK-linked PYD’s armed wing YPG’s militants agreed on Tuesday to a truce in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh after a week of clashes, a PYD official and Syrian state media said.
The operations were part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US military’s central effort against the Islamic State militant group in both Syria and Iraq – a campaign that’s supported by Bashar Assad’s regime and their top ally, Russia.
Cook says the Syrians have been warned repeatedly that the USA will defend its forces on the ground, and that their warplanes should not fly in areas near US troops. He also pledged to play a “more active” in the next months in putting an end to the conflict.
“The overwhelming majority of the city is under the control of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Asayish, apart from the security zone”, said Naser Haj Mansour, the Kurdish official, adding that some fighting was still underway.
The Special Forces were ordered to retreat from the area as a precaution.
Faysal Itani, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, said it was easy for the Syrian government to avoid bombing large bases, but far more risky to strike areas close to YPG forces being trained by US forces.
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TRUNEWS previously reported that on June 16th, Russian warplanes bombed a secret military base in Syria used by US and British special forces, killing at least four members of ISIS.
