{"id":41937,"date":"2018-02-13T20:07:36","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T20:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/13\/us-forces-in-syria-destroy-pro-assad-tank-after-second-attack-in-a-week\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:53:08","slug":"us-forces-in-syria-destroy-pro-assad-tank-after-second-attack-in-a-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/13\/us-forces-in-syria-destroy-pro-assad-tank-after-second-attack-in-a-week\/","title":{"rendered":"US forces in Syria destroy pro-Assad tank after second attack in a week"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. forces called in an airstrike on a T-72 tank after coming under attack from Syrian pro-regime forces.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

For the second time in less than a week, U.S. special operations forces in eastern Syria<\/a> came under attack from pro-regime forces<\/a> loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service members, acting as coalition advisers<\/a> to the Syrian Democratic Forces<\/a>, called in an airstrike with an MQ-9 Reaper to destroy a Soviet-made T-72 battle tank on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe detected and saw a tank that took a shot at us,\u201d Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt continued to move, so we again executed self-defense rules of engagement to protect ourselves. And I believe, again, that\u2019s something we always have the right to do and will make sure we\u2019re in a position to do,\u201d Harrigian added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Armed men in uniform identified by Syrian Democratic forces as US special operations forces walk in the village of Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqa on May 25, 2016. \nUS-backed Syrian fighters and Iraqi forces pressed twin assaults against the Islamic State group, in two of the most important ground offensives yet against the jihadists. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), formed in October 2015, announced on May 24 its push for IS territory north of Raqa city, which is around 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the Syrian-Turkish border and home to an estimated 300,000 people. The SDF is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — largely considered the most effective independent anti-IS force on the ground in Syria — but it also includes Arab Muslim and Christian fighters.\n\n \/ AFP \/ DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although no U.S. or partner forces were injured, three individuals inside the tank were reported to have been killed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of the attack, Harrigian said, coalition forces were operating from a \u201cdefensive position,\u201d conducting what he described as \u201cnormal operations in terms of getting back after ISIS and ensuring our area was secure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harrigian would not rule out reports that Russian forces <\/a>were piloting the tank, or participated in the battalion-sized assault repelled by U.S. airstrikes last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know who was driving it. … I\u2019m not just going to speculate on that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the composition of the forces wasn\u2019t the main concern for Harrigian, who said that the basis of the Reaper strike was self-defense above all else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision to strike rested with the ground force commander of the U.S. forces on scene, Harrigian explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe tank that fired was within an effective range to target our SDF and [coalition] advisers on the ground, which clearly provides him the ability to defend himself,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\t