An American contractor was killed and another was wounded, along with five United States servicemen, after a suspected Iran-backed militia explosive drone targeted a Coalition maintenance facility at a base near Hasakah, northeastern Syria.
According to the Department of Defense, an explosive drone of “Iranian origin” struck the base at around 1:40 pm local time. The exact location of the strikes, as well as the extent of the damage, remains unknown at this time. The identity of the killed contractor has not been released yet.
Below is a statement from the CENTCOM Commander on the precision strikes in response to American casualties in Syria. pic.twitter.com/MIJeQh1VtD
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 24, 2023
The US responded to the attack by carrying out airstrike operations in Deir-ez-zor and Al-Mayadeen “against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC),” said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the strikes killed at least 11 Iran-backed fighters.
