Coalition did not carry out airstrikes near Syria-Iraq border: Spokesperson

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Col. Wayne Marotto, the anti-ISIS coalition spokesperson, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday that the US-led forces "has not conducted air strikes of any nature in the Combined Joint Operations Area today or yesterday."

The statement comes after a Telegram channel affiliated with pro-Iran Iraqi militias claimed earlier today members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) near the Syria-Iraq border came under attack Sunday morning but sustained no casualties.

Syria's state news agency SANA claimed a US drone hit a food truck.

A senior US military official told Kurdistan 24 that there "has been an increase of disinformation released by adversaries of the coalition regarding attacks on the coalition and attacks by the coalition. This is part of their Information Operations to discredit the coalition."

American forces have recently come under attack from rockets, roadside bombs, and, increasingly, explosive-packed drones, which can fly at low altitude to avoid radars that trigger the US C-RAM air defense system.

On June 27, US Air Force planes carried out limited airstrikes near the Iraq-Syria border against what the Pentagon said were facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups to support drone attacks inside Iraq.

Read More: US launches limited airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria

Two of the targets were in Syria and one was in Iraq, according to the Pentagon spokesperson and footage later released by US Central Command. The sites were used by Kataib Hizbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada for operations and transferring weapons, including drones, the US said.

Washington cited the US right to self-defense as justification for the strikes amid ongoing drone attacks targeting American forces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.