Will not back off Syria Mission despite deadly attacks: US

Despite last week’s attacks on US forces in Syria by an Iran-backed militia, the US will not abandon its nearly eight-year deployment there to fight the remnants of the Islamic State, the White House said on Monday, according to Voice Of America (VOA).

On March 23, a one-way attack drone hit a US base in Syria, killing one American contractor, injuring another, and wounding five US troops. According to VOA, this triggered US retaliatory air strikes and exchanges of fire, which killed three Syrian troops, 11 Syrian fighters in pro-government militias, and five non-Syrian fighters aligned with the government.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said he was not aware of any additional attacks over the past 36 hours but cautioned, “We’re going to stay vigilant.”

Kirby also referred to President Joe Biden’s remarks on Friday, in which Biden warned Iran that the United States would act forcefully to protect Americans, VOA reported.

“There’s been no change in the US footprint in Syria as a result of what happened the last few days,” Kirby said, adding the mission against Islamic State would continue.

“We’re not going to be deterred … by these attacks from these militant groups.”
Syria’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned US strikes, saying Washington had lied about what was targeted and pledging to “end the American occupation” of its territory, VOA reported.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes, accusing US forces of targeting “civilian sites.”

US forces first entered Syria during the Obama administration’s anti-ISIS campaign, collaborating with a Kurdish-led group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. There are approximately 900 US troops in Syria, the majority of whom are stationed in the east.

Prior to the most recent wave of attacks, US troops in Syria had been attacked 78 times by Iranian-backed groups since the start of 2021, according to the US military, VOA reported.

Throughout Syria’s 12-year conflict, Iran has been a major supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Iran’s proxy militias, including the Lebanese group Hezbollah and pro-Tehran Iraqi groups, control large swaths of eastern, southern, and northern Syria, as well as the suburbs surrounding Damascus.