The US International Coalition has denied launching any raids on the Syrian army’s positions in the Qamishli countryside, despite reports of a helicopter opening fire on Syrian Arab Army troops in Tel al-Dahab.
According to the US Coalition, their troops opened fire on the Syrian army’s checkpoint in self-defense.
“The coalition forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, while conducting a routine security patrol related to anti-ISIS operations near the village of Tel al-Dahab in Syria, encountered a checkpoint belonging to the forces loyal to the Syrian regime, and after obtaining safe passage from the forces loyal to the regime, we came under small arms fire from individuals near the checkpoint.”
The statement continued, “The coalition patrol returned fire in self-defense,” adding that, “the coalition did not launch any airstrikes, and there were no losses among the coalition forces. The patrol returned to the base, and the incident is still under investigation.”
According to a military source in the area, one Syrian army soldier was killed during the exchange and two others were injured; they were later transferred to the National Hospital in Qamishli.
The incident on Monday marked the first direct clash between the Syrian Arab Army and US Coalition since the Syrian army reached an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces in October.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
