Explosion reportedly targets US base in northern Syria; SDF denies

AIN ISSA (Kurdistan 24) – A bomb hit a vehicle near a base housing US-led international troops in northern Syria’s Raqqa governorate, killing one person, a local security source there said on Monday.

Speaking to Kurdistan 24 on condition of anonymity, the local source said an explosion targeting a military vehicle in the southern outskirts of Ain Issa town where some of the US-led coalition forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) are based killed one person and injured many others.

However, the US-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG, denied reports of an attack on one of its vehicles near a base housing US-led international troops.

“The SDF conducts training explosions at military bases in the region from time to time,” Russian state-owned news outlet Sputnik quoted an SDF commander as saying.

“Thus, we train our future fighters on how to neutralize mines and explosives. During the training process, we detonate mines under the supervision of sappers,” he added.

SDF spokesperson Mustefa Bali also confirmed that reports of an assault or terrorist attack at the base in Ain Issa are untrue.

“If such an incident were really to occur, we would release a statement on the official website of the SDF. Follow the information on our website, if anything happens, we will report it,” he said.

The United States is believed to have about 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria, with France and Britain also contributing ground forces to its coalition.

With air and special forces backing from the coalition, the SDF has captured almost all of the quarter of Syria east of the Euphrates since beginning a campaign against IS fighters who controlled the area in 2015. It is now the most extensive territory in Syria outside government control.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany