US forces have been targeted in 4 more attacks since US strikes in Syria on Wednesday
By Haley Britzky, CNN
(CNN) — US and coalition forces have come under attack at least four more times since the US struck a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria on Wednesday evening, according to a US official.
On Wednesday evening, there were two multi-rocket attacks on US and coalition forces at Omar Oil Fields near Mission Support Site Green Village, Syria, and a one-way drone attack on forces at Mission Support Site Euphrates, Syria. One of the rocket attacks on Green Village resulted in three US troops suffering minor injuries, the official said.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday that two of those three received traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and the third was a “non-serious, non-critical injury.” All three have since returned to duty. There were no other reported casualties or infrastructure damage from the three attacks.
The fourth attack came on Thursday morning, when a one-way drone attack targeted forces at Al-Asad Airbase, Iraq. There were no reported casualties or infrastructure damage.
Before the US’ strike on an IRGC weapons facility on Wednesday, there were two attacks — multiple one-way drones targeting forces at Bashur, Iraq, and a previously reported rocket attack on forces at Shaddadi, Syria. Neither resulted in reports of casualties or infrastructure damage.
In total, the recent attacks mark at least 46 on US and coalition forces since October 17. Singh said Thursday that since the attacks began, at least 56 US troops have been injured.
The US strike on Wednesday, which targeted a facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, was the second of its kind following airstrikes on October 26 in response to attacks on US forces.
A senior military official said Wednesday that the facility hit that evening, located in Maysalun in Deir Ezzor, Syria, was believed to house weapons used in “many of the airstrikes that have taken place against our forces here in the region.”
“We’ve been watching it for a bit to ensure that when we struck the target, we would strike it at a time that we would be able to eliminate the use of the facility to the IRGC and so with a minimal number of casualties,” the official said.
Asked Thursday if it was a strong enough deterrent to strike a facility with the intent of minimizing casualties, while the groups attacking US forces are attempting to maximize casualties, Singh emphasized that the majority of attacks on US troops have been “unsuccessful.”
“We are minimizing what these groups are able to use, the capabilities that they are able to use, and we believe and we feel that these are proportionate responses,” she said.
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