Green Berets and their partner force, the Maghaweir al-Thowra (MaT), during a joint patrol mission near At-Tanf Garrison, Syria, April 29, 2020. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Howard)
The US-led coalition and its proxies have held joint live-fire drills in the southeastern Syrian area of al-Tanf, which came under attack less than a month ago.
On November 10, the coalition’s main proxy group in al-Tanf garrison, the Revolutionary Commando Army (MaT), shared footage from the joint drills.
In the course of the drills, MaT fighters fired M252 81 mm mortars, while US troops launched several rockets from a M142 HIMARS system. US F-16 fighter jets also took part in the drills and struck several targets.
Footage showing the joint #USـForces with @MaghaweirThowra training on #HIMARS, #airـstrikes and mortars in the #AlـTanf garrison, in support of our mission to #defeatـterrorism and the targets were accurate and no one was injured during the training.@SOJTF_LEVANT @CJTFOIR #Daesh pic.twitter.com/AiF6AxAICq
— مغاوير الثورة (@MaghaweirThowra) November 10, 2021
On October 20, al-Tanf came under attack. The garrison was targeted with five suicide drones and indirect fire. The attack resulted in some serious material damage. However, there were no casualties. The US withdrew all of its troops from the garrison before the attack after receiving an early warning. Iran was unofficially blamed for the attack.
Later on November 5, a large US military convoy that consisted of 26 vehicles and trucks entered al-Tanf garrison coming from Jordan.
Some 200 US troops and around 300 MaT fighters are usually deployed at al-Tanf garrison that was established in 2016. The US maintains a 55 kilometers no-fly, no-drive zone around the garrison.
The US claims that its military presence in al-Tanf is meant to counter ISIS. However, the garrison was in fact built to block a strategic highway that links the Syrian capital, Damascus, with Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
The coalition’s live-fire drills in al-Tanf were likely held to deter and intimidate Iranian-backed forces in both Syria and Iraq.
South Front your headline is wrong.
It should say US-led Coalition Held Joint Live-Fire Drills With Its ISIS and Al-CIA-da Proxies In Syria’s Al-Tanf
These are supposedly moderate FSA but they are CIA backed.
Hear hear.
As I have repeatedly said the US is not going to give up this base and the SAA are not able to take it. The US airbase in Jordan is but minutes away that provides protection. There is no need for the base to be there. They could quite easily have it on the Jordanian side of the border and block the highway but then it would be under the limited scrutiny of Jordan and maybe not able to carry out whatever it is doing in Al Tanf. Was it three years ago the SAA were advancing on the base and got stopped in their tracks 55km’s out.. We all wish that the SAA would wipe it out but pragmatism must win the day.
Syria is dealing with 2 much its not wise to open multiple fronts on itself.
Exactly , they are not in a position to even attempt to take it back. To try and do so gives the US the reason too unleash its resources and even call in NATO assistance under the pretext that they were attacked even though their base is illegal which according to them has nothing to do with it.
They only thing SAA can do is, tell iran to shoot loitering ammunition like in the past to make it costly for Al tanf terrorist to continue operating the base then the get out and saa captured the base
That has happened ONCE and next time if ? the Yanks will be ready for it. They are not going to pull out until they are ready .
Quite correct jens as that is what I meant but just took the shortcut. Maybe Germany and Spain as well but definitely GB and France who are joined at the hip with US/.
Yes they can cross the border anywhere along that border but they use the road via Deir Azeir down to Al Bukamal. Most of that border is desert or semi desert with no roads apart from a few dirt tracks. That base is so the Yanks can do secret stuff well away from prying eyes and force Baghdad – Damascus traffic to take the long route. There is a refugee camp nearby that has willing volunteers to join their proxies. Amazing how a gun stuck in the face helps make people volunteer. I am sure some of them end up attacking SAA convoys near Palmyra area.
That devastating attack on SAA and contractors was undertaken by Marines during James “Mad Dog” Mattis’s tenure as SecDef. He delegated battle field firing authority to the field commanders. The USMC used rocket artillery and moonlanded the advancing Wagner/SAA forces. When US field command is authorized to use weapons at their disposal and tactics they have been taught, the results are devastating. That was Mattis’s greatest strength: he knew a tactical engagement required 100%. Before him and after him the command has followed the “one hand tied behind the back” rules of engagement. Horrible policy. Bad results. Demoralized forces. Biden is a nightmare, and Harris is a joke. Trump and Mattis should have been a great combination because they shared tactical style but were unfortunately discordant in strategy.
Yes the US has some unbelievable assets they can use if allowed and there is not much to stop them other than Russia and China . Those contractors were attacked relentlessly for 3 days by every aircraft available. The contractors were caught in the open and had no air defense weapons to use. It was a mixture of Russian private company men and local tribesmen who were led to believe an oilfield was going to be handed over to them to protect. They got carved up rather badly. When the Iraqi airforce attacked that massive retreating column of ISIS they made one hell of a mess of that. Was it the Baghdad Highway of death that all show air power is the decive element over and over again. Should the SAA make a move they will get carved up without the support of Russia which I would imagine is not interested in going down that road. In Vietnam they also had their hands tied behind their backs but in the end would it have made that much of a difference to the result.
You are watching too many Disney movies…
If only ppl really knew the truth, get ready for ww3, Maybe we can stop it but idk let’s try.
Not sure if it was the main road but it was used and probably still is to insert groups to cause problems in the Palmyra and other areas.
Advanced isis training by proud LGBTQ Americant pedonazis. So proud not be an American.
US HIMARS and artillery nests are easy targets for irgc even SAA kamikaze drones. They’d be the first to get destroyed, followed by ballistic missiles flattening their garrison at Tanf.
Tanf has a simple solution: ballistic missiles to flatten it kamikaze drones to take out HIMARS/artillery/vehicles