US-coalition faces dual attacks in Syria and Iraq by Iran-backed groups

The US-led coalition fighting the terrorist group ISIS faced dual attacks, with one base in Syria and the other in Iraq coming under fire by Iran-backed groups, the coalition said on Wednesday.

“Coalition forces were targeted this morning by eight rounds of indirect fire at Green Village, a Syrian Democratic Forces base with a small Coalition advisory presence, in northeast Syria,” the coalition said in a statement, it added that there were no casualties but there was minor damage inside the base.

The Coalition responded by firing six rounds of artillery towards the point of origin of the attack just outside al-Mayadeen town in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province.

The second attack was in Iraq, where five rockets landed near Ain al-Asad airbase, which hosts US and other international forces in western Iraq. The attack caused no casualties or damage.

Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. John W. Brennan, Jr. said: “Our coalition continues to see threats against our forces in Iraq and Syria by militia groups that are backed by Iran. These attacks are a dangerous distraction from our coalition's shared mission to advise, assist, and enable partner forces to maintain the enduring defeat of [ISIS].”

This is the latest in a series of recent attacks on US bases or locations where there is American presence in both Syria and Iraq.

On Tuesday, two armed drones approached Ain al-Asad airbase and coalition forces shot them down. On Monday, the coalition also shot down two armed drones targeting its compound at Baghdad airport.

The developments coincide with the two-year anniversary of the death of Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the IRGC, who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq on January 3, 2020, along with Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.