{"id":44144,"date":"2019-10-13T04:42:52","date_gmt":"2019-10-13T04:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/10\/13\/us-troops-believe-turkey-deliberately-fired-artillery-at-an-american-commando-outpost-in-syria\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:46:10","slug":"us-troops-believe-turkey-deliberately-fired-artillery-at-an-american-commando-outpost-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/13\/us-troops-believe-turkey-deliberately-fired-artillery-at-an-american-commando-outpost-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"US troops believe Turkey deliberately fired artillery at an American commando outpost in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American troops and former U.S. officials believe a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/11\/how-the-pentagon-plans-to-protect-american-forces-in-syria-from-turkish-attacks\/\" target=_blank>Turkish artillery <\/a>strike on Friday that landed about 300 meters from a U.S. commando outpost near the Syrian city of Kobani was done deliberately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No U.S. troops were injured in the strike, but U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said American commandos temporarily withdrew from their observation post on Mishtanur hill near Kobani and returned on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A senior U.S. military official told Military Times on Friday that the incident was not an attack by Turkish forces, but some U.S. troops, former senior U.S. officials and artillery veterans say that the attack appears to be intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CNN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rabrowne75\/status\/1183079368647729152?s=20\" target=_blank>Barbara Starr <\/a>reported, citing a U.S. official, that the U.S. has not come to a final determination on whether the Turkish artillery strike was deliberate.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/12\/us-forces-are-still-conducting-ground-and-air-patrols-in-syria-despite-turkish-incursion\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1166774862.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US forces are still conducting ground and air patrols in Syria despite Turkish incursion<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">SMART news agency said it spoke to the leader of the U.S. commando patrol who told SMART that \u201ctheir forces will target the Turkish army if it advances inside Syrian territory more than the agreed distance between the United States and Turkey,\u201d according to a translation of the Arabic caption describing the video.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2019\/10\/12\/us-forces-say-turkey-was-deliberately-bracketing-american-forces-with-artillery-fire-syria\/\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Post<\/a>, an Army officer with knowledge of the situation said that multiple 155 mm artillery rounds had been fired near the U.S. outpost landing on both sides of the base with a \u201cbracketing effect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon Friday that Turkey had the locations of U.S. forces \u201cdown to explicit grid coordinate detail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With knowledge of the locations of U.S. forces , former U.S. Army Europe commander retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, tweeted that the positions of U.S. forces should have been plugged into artillery fire control computers as \u201cno fire areas,\u201d or NFAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hertling tweeted that the either Turkish \u201cartillery soldiers were incompetent, or this was a purposeful act to send a message to U.S. and SDF\/Kurds. Turkey fired on a NATO ally.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former American envoy for the anti-ISIS coaltion Brett McGurk echoed those sentiments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTurkish forces have fired on a declared U.S. military outpost in northern Syria. Turkey knows all of our locations down to the precise grid coordinate,\u201d McGurk tweeted Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A senior enlisted U.S. artillery soldier told Military Times that the NFAs should have been clearly marked by a fire direction officer, \u201cespecially when firing in an area with high chance collateral damage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The soldier, who spoke to Military Times on condition of anonymity, said \u201cin NATO and Western armies we follow a very strict crew drill procedures before firing artillery both in training and combat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Turkish strikes he said, appeared deliberate, or at least \u201cthey didn\u2019t care about the American presence\u201d in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juan Gonzales, a former artillery sergeant in the Marines, told Military Times that he didn\u2019t think the attack was an accident, and explained that if the fire direction center, or FDC \u201cknew and their fire controls computers were programmed properly there is no excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FDC helps compute targeting and direction of fire, and there is typically one FDC for a battery of six guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/10\/11\/no-us-forces-harmed-by-explosion-in-syria-says-official\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/24_coverjump_arabnato.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US forces unharmed after coming under fire in Syria<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A senior U.S. official says that there was some kind of explosion, but that no U.S. personnel were harmed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Gonzales also explained that he has worked with a lot of other countries and seen a lot of incompetence in the field of artillery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTurkey has not been a great ally for a while now,\u201d Gonzales said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe NFAs would have been plugged in and the fire direction center should have known \u2014 they very possibly and almost certainly did know, but chances are they didn\u2019t care,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryne Ainsworth, a Marine veteran who served as a artillery fire direction control man, told Military Times that the Turkish artillery unit would have to input the grids of U.S. positions in the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, or AFATDS, with all the no fire areas marked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AFATDS is a fire support command and control system used by the Marines and Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut it would be up to the individual battalions to make sure their tables of fire are followed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ainsworth said the Turkish strike near the U.S. position looked intentional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cArtillery requires very accurate data. You know what your shooting at through very specific procedures,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the strikes are deliberate, what does Turkey stand to gain by shooting at a NATO ally?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkey has long been frustrated with America\u2019s assistance to its anti-ISIS partner force known as the SDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the ranks of the SDF is a Kurdish militant group known as the YPG. Turkey believes YPG fighters are an armed wing of the internationally designated terrorist group the Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, or PKK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan announced the start of military operations to counter the U.S.-backed Kurdish force. Turkey claims its incursion into Syria will not stretch beyond 30 km.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Fonda, a Marine veteran who served in the first battle of Fallujah, Iraq, told Military Times that Turkey is trying to \u201csmoke\u201d special operations forces out of Kobani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fonda volunteered to fight with the YPG against ISIS militants in Syria in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey [Turkey] know they can\u2019t siege Kobani with U.S. forces present,\u201d Fonda said. \u201cIf Kobani falls, all of Rojava falls.\u201d Rojava refers to the semi-autonomous governing region in northern Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fonda said he sees President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw a handful of special operators from northern Syria as a betrayal to the Kurds who fought and died to clear ISIS from the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t understand how these special operations guys are able to live with themselves just sitting in their bases doing nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkish military operations continued unabated into the fourth day Saturday. SDF forces repeated their calls for a no-fly zone and said a number of civilians had been killed in fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/us-troops-syria-turkey-1464727\" target=_blank>Newsweek <\/a>first reported the Turkish artillery strike near the U.S. position in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cmoc_sdf\/status\/1182947913967771648\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/cmoc_sdf\/status\/1182947913967771648<\/a><\/blockquote><\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No U.S. troops were injured in the strike, but U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said American commandos temporarily withdrew from their observation post on Mishtanur hill near Kobani and returned on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":10,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[10,29,116,15,86,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3472],"class_list":["post-44144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"BTW7RIIHAZCRFBJHSR7QD3EHH4","arc_canonical_url":"\/2019\/10\/13\/us-troops-believe-turkey-deliberately-fired-artillery-at-an-american-commando-outpost-in-syria\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US troops believe Turkey deliberately fired artillery at an American commando outpost in Syria - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"No U.S. troops were injured in the strike, but U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said American commandos temporarily withdrew from their observation post on Mishtanur hill near Kobani and returned on Saturday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US troops believe Turkey deliberately fired artillery at an American commando outpost in Syria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"No U.S. troops were injured in the 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