USA forces left the Syrian town of al-Rai on Friday after being chased out by rebels, the Independent reports, citing local sources.
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But footage widely shared online by Syrian groups and experts appears to show USA commandos in Al Rai insulted by FSA fighters, who call them “pigs” and “infidels” in Arabic, demanding they leave Syria.
Another man calls out: “The collaborators of America are dogs and pigs”.
American largesse with one rebel faction in particular, Liwa Al-Mutasem, seems to have helped defuse a potentially embarrassing situation.
Turkey, which launched a military incursion into Syria in late August, has been backing the FSA.
“Available information suggests that both sides could have done more to minimise civilian loss of life, as required by the laws of war”, HRW said in a statement.
“Access to the Turkey-Syria border region is strategically important to ISIL’s operations in Syria and Iraq as well”, Davis said, using a common acronym for the Islamic State.
President Barack Obama has authorized up to 300 Special Operations Forces to be deployed to Syria.
Last month, Turkish tanks entered Syria to strike Daesh terrorists in Jarablus and its air force along with US-led military coalition aircraft pounded targets in and around the city.
“There’s been no violence, no one is hurt and we are still there”, the official said.
Pro-Ankara Syrian opposition fighters – the FSA – captured the town in just a day with Turkish support and are now pushing deeper into Syria. Turkey leaders have accused USA military officers of backing the Turkish military’s botched coup attempt in July.
The new development comes as the Free Syrian Army, backed by Turkish artillery earlier in the day, began to move toward Daesh’s stronghold al-Bab, almost 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Cobanbey as a part of Operation Euphrates Shield.
The visit coincided with Turkey starting an operation to drive IS jihadists out of a key Syrian border town.
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The brief standoff in Rai underscores the competing agendas on the ground as the United States, Turkey, and several Gulf Arab countries pour money and resources into supporting a bewildering range of groups battling ISIS and the regime of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad in the country’s five-year old civil war.
