List of United States attacks on Syria during the Syrian civil war

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The following is a list of United States′s attacks on forces belonging to, or allied with the Syrian government during the Syrian Civil War. Other than the April 2017 Shayrat missile strike and the April 2018 missile strikes, all other attacks were officially announced by the Pentagon as having been carried out in defense of either the Syrian Democratic Forces or the Revolutionary Commando Army in Al-Tanf.

The United States claimed that some attacks were accidental, such as the September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid, which killed 50 Syrian Army and allied troops.[1]

List of attacks[edit]

Intentional attacks[edit]

Date Location Notes Ref.
April 7, 2017 Shayrat Airbase, Western Homs Governorate
Main article: 2017 Shayrat missile strike
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike against the Syrian government in response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack on 4 April. The United States gave Syria's ally, Russia, advance warning of the airstrike, allowing the government to move away most planes from the airbase ahead of time. 3 to 5 aircraft were destroyed and seven to nine soldiers were killed, including a Colonel. 		[2]
May 18, 2017 Al-Tanf, Eastern Homs Governorate
See also: 2017 Syrian Desert campaign
U.S. aircraft conducted airstrikes against vehicles, including a tank and bulldozer belonging to pro-government militias that were setting up fighting positions within the Al-Tanf deconfliction zone. Two vehicles were destroyed and 2 soldiers were killed. 		[3][4]
June 6, 2017 Al-Tanf, Eastern Homs Governorate U.S. aircraft conducted airstrikes on over 20 troops, a tank, artillery, antiaircraft weapons, and armed technical vehicles from pro-government forces that had entered the Al-Tanf deconfliction zone. The attack destroyed two artillery pieces, an anti-aircraft gun, and damaged a tank. [5]
June 8, 2017 Al-Tanf, Eastern Homs Governorate U.S. F-15E shoots down an armed Syrian-operated drone and another aircraft destroys two armed pick-up trucks belonging to pro-government forced that moved near U.S. backed fighters at Al-Tanf. [6]
June 18, 2017 Ja'Din, Eastern Southern Raqqa Governorate
Main article: Ja'Din shootdown incident
U.S. FA-18E/F shoots down a Syrian Air Force SU-22 after it allegedly bombed SDF fighters in Ja'Din. A Syrian Army statement claimed the aircraft was on a mission striking ISIL militants and had ejected after being hit and was later saved. 		[7][8]
June 20, 2017 Al-Tanf, Eastern Homs Governorate U.S. F-15E shoots down an armed Syrian-operated Shahed 129 drone that advanced towards U.S. backed fighters at Al-Tanf. [9]
February 7, 2018 Khasham, Central Deir ez-Zor Governorate
Main article: Battle of Khasham
The U.S.-led Coalition forces conducted air and artillery strikes to destroy pro-government forces that were advancing against a SDF headquarters, which was housing U.S.-led Coalition service members at the time. Over 100 Russian mercenaries were reported to have been killed and hundreds more were injured. However, Syrian state media announced that 10 Russian mercenaries had been killed. 		[10][11]
February 10, 2018 Al Tabiyeh, Central Deir ez-Zor Governorate A U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone destroys a T-72 tank of pro-government forces in an air strike near the Al Tabiyeh gas field. The tank itself was not firing on the SDF and the coalition, but other elements in the formation were. [12][13]
April 14, 2018 Damascus, Damascus Governorate / Homs, Homs Governorate
Main article: 2018 missile strikes against Syria
The U.S., U.K., and France struck a chemical weapons research center and a chemical weapons storage facility in response to the Douma chemical attack. 		[14]
April 29, 2018 Near Deir ez-Zor city to the East of the Euphrates, Deir ez-Zor
Main article: Deir ez-Zor Governorate clashes (April 2018)
The Syrian Army, along with what were believed to be Iranian-backed militias, captured villages east of the Euphrates river near the city of Deir ez-Zor that were under the control of Kurdish-led forces in a rare clash with the Syrian Democratic Forces. Later that same day, the territory was recaptured by U.S.-backed proxy forces in a counter-attack spearheaded by the YPG with help from U.S. coalition jets. U.S. coalition jets hit the attacking forces consisting of the Syrian Army and possibly Iranian militias, according to a Western diplomat and a source in the SDF. 		[15]
February 2, 2020 Khirbat Amo, Near Kamishli, al-Hasakah Governorate US forces conducting a patrol near Qamishli encountered a checkpoint occupied by pro-Syrian regime forces, where they came under small arms fire from unknown individuals. In self-defense, coalition troops returned fire. [16]

Other attacks[edit]

Date Location Notes Ref.
September 17, 2016 Near Deir ez-Zor airport, Deir ez-Zor
Main article: September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid
The Deir ez-Zor air raid was a series of 37 U.S.-led Coalition airstrikes near the Deir ez-Zor Airport in eastern Syria on 17 September 2016 that killed between 50 and 60 Syrian Army soldiers and wounded 30 more. The United States said that the intended target was Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants and that the attack on Syrian soldiers was due to a misidentification of ground forces[17] while the Syrian and Russian governments claimed that it was an intentional attack against Syrian troops. The attack prompted Russia to call an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting.[18] Later, the Syrian government called off a ceasefire that had been the result of months of intense diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and Russian governments. 		[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Anne Barnard and Mark Mazzetti (17 September 2016). "U.S. Admits Airstrike in Syria, Meant to Hit ISIS, Killed Syrian Troops". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  2. ^ Barbara Starr; Jeremey Diamond (April 7, 2017). "Trump launches military strike against Syria". CNN. Archived from the original on 2017-06-08. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. ^ "U.S. aircraft conduct strike on Syrian army convoy". CBS News. May 18, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-07. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  4. ^ Reusser, Oliviero (May 18, 2017). "Coalition Warplanes Strike Pro-Government Forces in Syrian Desert". Conflict News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  5. ^ Christopher Woody (June 6, 2017). "The US-led coalition destroyed more pro-Assad forces at a growing hotspot in the Syrian desert". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2017-06-06. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  6. ^ "U.S. downs pro-Syrian drone that fired at coalition forces: spokesman". Reuters. June 8, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  7. ^ "U.S. warplane downs Syrian army jet in southern Raqqa province". Reuters. 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-18. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  8. ^ Martinez, Luis (June 18, 2017). "U.S. shoots down Syrian fighter jet over Syria". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2017-06-18. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  9. ^ "UPDATE: Full @CENTCOM statement on the downing of an Iranian made armed drone in Syria today". Conflict News. June 20, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-21. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  10. ^ Dozens of Russians Are Believed Killed in U.S.-Backed Syria Attack Archived 2018-02-13 at the Wayback Machine NYT, 13 February 2018.
  11. ^ "Unprovoked attack by Syrian pro-regime forces prompts Coalition defensive strikes". United States Central Command. 7 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-02-08. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  12. ^ U.S. airstrike destroys Russian-made tank used by pro-Syria forces Archived 2018-02-13 at the Wayback Machine NBC News, 13 February 2018.
  13. ^ Phil Stewart (13 February 2018). "U.S. drone destroys Russian-made tank in Syria". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2018-02-13. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  14. ^ "US and allies launch strikes on Syria chemical weapons sites". BBC. 14 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  15. ^ Suleiman Al-Khalidi (29 April 2018). "U.S. backed forces say they regain villages seized by Syrian army". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2018-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  16. ^ "US-led Coalition Clashes with Syria Regime Loyalists". International Business Times. 12 February 2020.
  17. ^ Brig. Gen. Richard Coe; et al. (2 November 2016). "Memorandum for USAFCENT/CC" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  18. ^ a b "Syria ceasefire under threat after US-led strikes kill regime troops, Russia says". CNN. 18 September 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
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