Twice last week the US scrambled fighter aircraft to protect American special operations forces and partner forces after Syrian government warplanes flew near the northeastern Syrian city of Hassakeh.
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The coalition aircraft arrived to protect the USA personnel from the strikes just as the two Syrian government Su-24 bombers were departing, according to Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis, who said none of the US forces on the ground were harmed. That led to American warplanes being scrambled to protect them, though the Syrian aircraft had left the area by the time the US planes arrived.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on August 20 that the bombing raids by the Syrians showed that Damascus was starting to see Kurdish attempts to gain territory in northern Syria as “a threat”.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis on Friday said that the US has warned Syria that America will defend coalition troops.
Kurdish militiamen have launched an operation to capture the last districts under the control of the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the northeastern city of Hasaka, they said Monday.
USA special operations forces were based about six kilometers (nearly four miles) north of Hasakeh and reinforcements arrived Friday “from inside and outside Syria, accompanied by military helicopters”, Abdel Rahman said. Coalition Special Operations forces, which have been advising Kurdish and Arab fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, were in the area, but none were injured.
Fighting there could complicate the battle against Islamic State because of the Kurds’ pivotal role in the USA -backed Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) fight against the group.
Additionally, the US -led coalition contacted the Russian military through a communications link it has for air safety over Syria; the Russians said they did not have aircraft in the area.
The U.S. and Russian Federation previous year established a “memorandum of understanding” that created lines of communications for safely sharing the skies over Syria and avoiding a mishap that could spark a broader conflict.
A Syrian military statement said Kurdish forces had surrounded Hasakeh and caused civilian and military casualties by shelling, and that it had taken the “appropriate response”, targeting “the source of fire and positions of those responsible for these crimes”.
The Pentagon’s warning comes one day after the new commander of US forces fighting ISIS made similar statements.
A statement distributed to journalists by an YPG official said the agreement included “a ceasefire and the withdrawal of all armed forces from the city”. More than 290,000 people have lost their lives since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011, and millions have been forced to flee their homes.
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“But. the Syrian regime would be wise to avoid areas where coalition forces have been operating”.
