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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has repelled an attack by a group of militants who attempted to break out of the U.S.-controlled area of al-Tanf in southeastern Syria, Major General Oleg Yegorov, deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, announced on November 2.
The Russian officer said that the group, which was made up of nine militants, was moving some 22 kilometers to the west of the al-Ghurab mount.
“A group of militants attempted to break out of the US-controlled area on two pickup trucks and three motorcycles. Syrian government forces successfully repelled the attack. One Syrian soldier was seriously wounded,” Maj. Gen. Yegorov said.
Al-Ghurab mount is located to the north of the U.S.-led coalition’s garrison in al-Tanf, where some 200 American troops are deployed.
Maj. Gen. Yegorov didn’t identify the militants who carried out the break out attempt. They may have been members of ISIS, whose cells are still operating within the 55-kilometers no-fly zone around al-Tanf garrison, or the Army of Free Syria, previously known Maghaweir al-Thowra, the U.S. main proxy in the area.
In September, the coalition appointed a new radical leader for its proxies in al-Tanf, then went on to reorganize and rebrand them. Later in October, the coalition approved a plan to boost their ranks with more than 2,000 new militants.
ISIS and U.S.-backed militants launched several attacks on the SAA from the direction of al-Tanf in the last few months. Several soldiers were wounded or killed as a result of these attacks.
Syria and Russia have been growing frustrated with the U.S.-led coalition’s activities in al-Tanf. The garrison has been used as a forward base for intelligence gathering and sabotage since it foundation in 2016. Now, however, the coalition may be planning to launch a full-on insurgency from there.
