WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – The U.S. military had reportedly been tipped off before last week’s attack on al-Tanf base in southern Syria, where American occupation troops are located, and had withdrawn hundreds of troops from the military facility to limit damage from the raid.
An unnamed U.S. military official told Fox News television network that roughly 200 U.S. troops were evacuated by C-130 transport planes prior to the attack, while about two dozen remained at the base.
The report added that it is not yet clear what type of intelligence led to the tip, which apparently saved the lives of many American soldiers.
United States officials said they believe the attack involved as many as five drones laden with explosive charges, and that they hit both the U.S. side of al-Tanf base and the side where U.S.-backed militants reside.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference last Monday the attack was “complex, coordinated and deliberate.”
The U.S. military trains anti-Damascus terrorists at al-Tanf base, which is situated near Syria’s borders with Iraq and Jordan.
Washington has unilaterally declared a 55-kilometer “de-confliction zone” around the facility, and frequently threatened to target Syrian forces within the area.
Back in May last year, a number of captured Daesh terrorists confessed to close cooperation with U.S. military forces stationed at al-Tanf base on carrying out various acts of terror and sabotage.
During confessions broadcast on Syria’s state-run television network, several terrorists revealed that they were instructed by American forces to target Syrian government troops in and around the ancient city of Palmyra, the Tiyas Military Airbase – also known as the T-4 Airbase, the Shaer gas field as well as nearby oil wells.
In another development, Turkey sent truckloads of military and logistical equipment to northern Syria, only a day after hundreds of Syrians staged a mass demonstration to denounce the presence of Turkish occupation forces in the conflict-plagued Arab country and demand their complete withdrawal.
Syria’s official SANA news agency, citing local sources, reported that two convoys of 100 trucks each, carrying battle tanks, artillery batteries and logistical supplies, crossed into Syrian territories through Khirbet al-Joz crossing on Wednesday, and headed towards Jabal al-Zawiya area in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib.
The report added that the convoys are meant to fortify the position of Turkish military forces in northwest Syria, and help terrorists fighting Syrian government troops.
Idlib is the last major stronghold of foreign-backed terrorists, especially Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group, fighting against the legitimate government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The HTS is a coalition of different factions of Al-Qaeda-linked terror outfits largely composed of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.
Moreover, Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing local sources, reported that dozens of Turkish military trucks loaded with various ammunition and logistical supplies as well as armored personnel carriers entered Syrian territories on Tuesday.