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The US has bolstered its army forces within the Middle East following a sequence of assaults on US troops in Syria attributed to Iranian-affiliated militias, the Pentagon mentioned Friday.
A squadron of A-10 assault plane are deploying to the area forward of a scheduled deployment. The deployment of the assault plane was expedited by a number of weeks following the assaults in Syria, in keeping with Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Phil Ventura.
In addition, the US ordered a service strike group to stay within the area to assist US forces in Central Command, which covers the Middle East, and a squadron of A-10 assault plane to the area, Ventura mentioned.
“We are committed to supporting the defeat-ISIS mission alongside a global coalition in Syria and prepared to respond to a range of contingencies in the Middle East if needed,” Ventura mentioned in a press release.
The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group will stay within the Mediterranean Sea below US European Command, however it would assist US forces within the Middle East within the occasion of contingency plans and operations, Ventura mentioned. Led by the nuclear plane service USS George H.W. Bush, the strike group additionally contains the guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, the destroyer USS Delbert D. Black, and the assist ship USNS Arctic.
“Collectively, these actions demonstrate the United States’ ability to rapidly reposition forces across the globe and underscores that all necessary measures will be taken to defend U.S. forces,” Ventura mentioned.
Last week, a sequence of assaults on US bases in Syria killed one US contractor and wounded US personnel within the war-torn nation.
The US has roughly 900 troops in Syria as a part of the continued mission to defeat ISIS. But these forces, unfold throughout a number of bases in northeast Syria, have grow to be a frequent goal for Iran and its proxies within the area, who can launch drone or rocket assaults towards US positions.
“Iran threatens to push the Middle East into regional instability by supporting terrorist and proxy forces,” mentioned Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley in his opening remarks on the House Armed Services committee listening to on Wednesday.
But the assaults on US troops in Syria haven’t shifted the Pentagon’s resolve to proceed the mission towards ISIS, even with the risk posed by Iranian proxies.
“We will continue to counter terrorist threats in the region or anywhere else we find them,” Milley mentioned.
The first assault final week occurred when a drone struck a facility with US personnel close to Hasakah in northeast Syria. The US attributed the assault to militias affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The assault, which killed a US contractor, additionally wounded 5 US service members and one other US contractor, the army mentioned on the time. On Thursday, the Pentagon revealed 4 different service members have been identified with traumatic mind accidents (TBI) within the days after the assault. One of these service members identified with a TBI was transferred to Baghdad, Iraq for additional analysis and remedy.
In response, the US carried out airstrikes focusing on IRGC services close to Deir ez-Zor, Syria. On Thursday, the Pentagon mentioned it assessed eight militants have been killed within the strike.
But following the US retaliatory strikes, militant teams in Syria launched a sequence of further assaults on US troops based mostly at Conoco and Green Village in northeast Syria. Three US service members have been injured within the assaults on Green Village, together with two with traumatic mind accidents.
The variety of service members identified with TBI could enhance, the Pentagon acknowledged, because the screening just isn’t full, and the signs usually take time to develop.
Source: www.cnn.com