Signs of an increased US involvement in the Syrian conflict

During more than the past six years, the Syrian Crisis has actually become a conflict not only between the government and the militant groups, but also between different regional and trans-regional actors. With the recent filed developments, now it seems that the US is increasing its involvement in the conflict.

کد خبر: ۷۲۵۸۴۳

تاریخ: ۰۷ شهريور ۱۳۹۶ - ۲۱:۲۷

Tabnak – During more than the past six years, the Syrian Crisis has actually become a conflict not only between the government and the militant groups, but also between different regional and trans-regional actors. With the recent filed developments, now it seems that the US is increasing its involvement in the conflict.

According to a report published by CNN, US troops in northern Syria came under direct attack last week by Turkish-backed rebels, a military official with the coalition fighting ISIS told CNN Tuesday. The official said that while US troops returned fire there were no casualties on either side.

The coalition believes the attackers are part of the Turkish-backed opposition forces, a loose grouping of Arab and Turkmen fighters that have helped the Turkish military clear ISIS from the Turkish-Syria border area.

Many of these Turkey-supported forces originated as part of the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and they have also clashed with the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in a struggle for influence in the region.

In a separate report, Reuters quotes the coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon as saying that the coalition has told Turkey to tell the rebels it backs there that firing on US-led coalition forces "is not acceptable.”

US ground forces are in northern Syria as part of the US-led coalition supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a local alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias battling ISIS.

The Turkish-backed rebels and the SDF have often exchanged small arms and artillery fire in other parts of northern Syria where US-led coalition forces are not patrolling.

"Our overt patrols that have been conducting patrols in that area to keep tensions down received fire multiple times over the course of the last two weeks,” Dillon said. "We let our counterparts in Turkey know this and we continue to conduct these patrols but are always prepared and ready to defend ourselves in that area.”

Meanwhile, in another incident, The US-led coalition warplanes bombed a gathering of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa city, killing or wounding 15 friendly troops, an Arab media outlet reported on Tuesday.

The Arabic-language al-Ahd reported that the warplanes pounded a gathering center of the SDF in al-Haramiyeh neighborhood in Raqqa city, leaving 15 Kurdish fighters dead or injured.

Although the latest incident has identified as a mistake by the coalition forces, the overall situation indicates that the US has actually increased its involvement in the Syrian conflict. In this vein, especially given the latest disagreements between Turkey and the US over arming the Syrian Kurdish groups, the new US actions may even result in an unwanted clashes between two NATO allies.