The strike by Syrian warplanes Thursday followed days of clashes between the regime and Kurdish forces inside the city of Hasakah. The U.S. scrambled aircraft to protect the elite forces, raising the prospect that Washington and Damascus could have been in direct combat for the first time. Turkish military returned fire at Islamic State targets in northern Syria. They provide training and also serve as advisers on military operations though the US forces are not directly on the front lines.
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Soon after the bombing runs, coalition aircraft arrived in response, though the Syrian planes had already departed.
Most of Hasakeh city is controlled by Kurdish forces, while the rest is held by fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
Up to 300 U.S. Special Operations forces have been authorized by the White House to operate in northern Syria in support of Kurdish and Arab rebel groups fighting ISIS.
The developments put the U.S.’s only clear proxy in Syria, the SDF, and its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally, Turkey, on track for a confrontation over Jarablus, though the SDF official, Nasser Haj Mansour, would not comment on whether the SDF would send fighters to the town.
Hassib said that he could hear USA aircraft as fighting between government troops and Kurdish fighters continued on the ground.
In response to the strikes, USA military officials contacted their Russian counterparts also operating in Syria, who offered their assurances that their planes weren’t operating in the area.
According to the militant group, which is considered to be the Syrian affiliate of the PKK – which is considered as a terrorist group by Turkey, EU, NATO and the U.S. – the attack came after the YPG called on pro-regime forces to surrender.
It was apparently the first time the coalition scrambled jets in response to regime action, and possibly the closest call yet in terms of Syrian forces wounding coalition advisers.
Davis called the entire situation “very unusual” and said the Pentagon was “hard pressed” to think of another time when Syrian forces came so close to attacking the United States, even if that was not their intention.
As soon as the strikes began, Kurdish ground forces unsuccessfully tried to hail the pilots via radio.
Kurdish forces have asked the pro-government militias in the city to either surrender or face death, Kurdish forces and residents were quoted by Reuters as saying. There are also reports of retreat by regime forces ahead of Kurdish advances.
He said the strikes “did not directly impact our forces” but they were “close enough that it gives us great pause”.
Davis said of Thursday’s incident: “‘No coalition forces were impacted”.
The unprecedented strikes prompted the US -led coalition to scramble aircraft to protect its special operations forces helping the Kurdish fighters.
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Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), now controlling parts of it.
