On October 15th, Turkish troops came “very close” to US troops in Syria, west of Ain Issa, a town in northern Syria, US Army Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve told Fox News.
U.S. military sends F-15 fighter jets, Apache gunships in "show of force" to disburse Turkish-backed forces who came "very close" to U.S. troops west of Ain Issa, Syria. Turkish-backed fighters “violated a standing agreement" not to threaten American troops: U.S. official
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) October 15, 2019
The Turkish-backed fighters “violated a standing agreement with the U.S. not to get close enough to threaten U.S. troops,” the official said.
The US military sent Air Force F-15 fighters and Army Apache attack helicopters to the scene, to guarantee the safety of its troops, the US official said.
According to U.S. Army Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, based in Baghdad:
“As Turkish-backed militias advanced towards the Lafarge Cement Factory, between Kobanî and Ain Issa, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, the SDF set fire to, then vacated, its facilities and equipment. The location had been the headquarters of the de facto Defeat-ISIS coalition in Syria. No U.S. forces or equipment were ever in jeopardy and remain within separate, secure facilities. Our priority is protecting the remaining Coalition forces at the LCF as multiple forces converge in northeast Syria. Coalition forces are executing a deliberate withdrawal from northeast Syria.”
The US military reportedly lodged a formal complaint with the Turkish military after the incident, through diplomatic channels.
The American Special Operations forces were partnered with Syrian Kurdish allies during the encounter.
This isn’t the first such incident, on October 11th it was reported that Turkish forces were shelling positions that were a few hundred meters from US troops in Kobani, Syria.
“The explosion occurred within a few hundred meters of a location outside the Security Mechanism zone and in an area known by the Turks to have U.S. forces present,” Navy Capt. Brook DeWalt, director of Defense Press Operations said in a statement. “All U.S. troops are accounted for with no injuries.”
“The United States remains opposed to the Turkish military move into Syria and especially objects to Turkish operations outside the Security Mechanism zone and in areas where the Turks know U.S. forces are present,” Dewalt added.
“The U.S. demands that Turkey avoid actions that could result in immediate defensive action.”
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