AIR FORCE HELICOPTER CREW RESCUES FEMALE HIKER – The 943rd Rescue Group had to use night vision goggles to rescue a severely injured hiker. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/Released)
United States forces killed a civilian and wounded another during a helicopter raid in the northeastern Syria governorate of al-Hasakah on June 11, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The state-run news agency said that the raid took place in the town of Salham, which is located in the southern al-Hasakah countryside near the border with Iraq.
U.S. forces, backed by fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), opened heavy fire at random on civilian houses and farmlands in Salham during the raid, local sources told the news agency.
“American occupation forces and the Qasd [SDF] militia surrounded the village, and opened fire on the people who tried to leave the village, fearing for their lives, which led to the death of a civilian and the injury of another,” the sources added.
Syrian activists said that the casualties were members of Shammar, one of the largest and most influential Arab tribes in northeastern Syria. Thousands of Shammar tribesmen serve in the al-Sanadid Forces, the largest Arab faction of the SDF. The faction is mainly active in al-Hasakah.
The U.S.-led coalition and the SDF are yet to comment on the reports of civilian casualties in Salham. The deadly raid could lead to escalation in al-Hasakah.
The U.S. maintains some 900 troops in Syria under the pretext of fighting ISIS. Most of these troops are deployed at key oil and gas fields in al-Hasakah. The coalition’s main supply lines run from Iraq through the governorate. Several airfields of the coalition are also located there. This presence is not authorized by the Syrian government.
In the last few months, the coalition conducted several helicopter raids in northeastern Syria to kill or capture alleged operatives of ISIS.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC:
