US says it will not back off Syria mission despite deadly attacks
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Roshan Amiri
- . March 28, 2023
- . Update: March 28, 2023 2:48 pm
The United States will not back off from Syria’s mission despite deadly attacks on US forces, according to the White House, the official residence of the president of the US.
On Monday, the White House said that it cannot back away from its nearly eight-year-old deployment to Syria even after a deadly attack on US forces by Iran-backed militia. A drone attack at a US base in Syria last week killed an American contractor, injured another American contractor and wounded five US troops.
John Kirby, United States National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said that the US would stay vigilant. He further said that the mission against Daesh would continue in Syria. He reportedly said, “We’re not going to be deterred … by these attacks from these militant groups.”
Reportedly, the US said that the group forces affiliated with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) in Syria carried out a drone attack against a US-led coalition base, which killed the U.S. contractor. General Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command, slammed the incident. Subsequently, the US carried out airstrikes against groups affiliated with IRGC facilities in eastern Syria. Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense, said that the US would take all necessary measures to defend the US citizens.
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According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the US airstrikes killed eight pro-Iran fighters in Syria. Subsequently, Iran accused the US forces of targeting “civilian sites.”
The US first deployed forces into Syria during the Barack Obama administration’s campaign against Daesh militants. The US partnered with the Syrian Democratic Forces. The US troops in partnership with a Kurdish-led group fought against the Daesh group.
According to the US, American troops in Syria had been attacked by Iranian-backed groups multiple times since 2021. Iran reportedly backed Syrian President Bashar Assad during Syria’s 12-year conflict.
