US military patrol blocked in Syria’s Hasakah: reports
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A US coalition convoy patrolling the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah was stopped at a checkpoint by Syrian government troops and government loyalists and forced to change its route on Saturday.
The convoy, consisting of four armored vehicles, was patrolling in Salihiya Harb village in the Qamishli countryside when the incident occurred, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor.
“It is the seventh pushback of US patrols in areas of northeastern Syria in March,” SOHR noted.
The sixth such incident occurred on Friday when US vehicles in the village of Al-Da’doshiyah, also in the Qamishli countryside, were blocked by a checkpoint “forcing the vehicles to change their route and head to a different direction.”
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency also reported Saturday’s incident.
“Local sources told SANA reporter that the people of Salhia Harb (Salihiya Harb) village in the northern countryside of Hasakah, with support of a checkpoint of the Syrian Arab Army, intercepted a convoy of the American occupation forces, consisting of five military armored vehicles, preventing it from entering the village and expelled it from the area,” read that report.
The US maintains a military presence in northeast Syria that supports the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIS. Iran and the Syrian government strongly oppose this presence, reiterating their call for the US to leave Syria on Thursday at the United Nations Security Council.
Read More: Iran, Syria UN representatives reiterate demand for US to leave Syria
The US-led coalition did not mention the recent blocking of its patrols in northeast Syria.
On Saturday, its official Twitter account once again extolled its partnership with the SDF.
“Our efforts in building our partners’ capacity reflect our strong partnership & shared determination to ensure the lasting defeat of Daesh,” it tweeted, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
Our efforts in building our partners' capacity reflect our strong partnership & shared determination to ensure the lasting defeat of Daesh.
— Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) March 26, 2022
Together with our #SDF partners, we work to advance security & stability in NE Syria. #StrongerTogether@cmoc_sdf https://t.co/EBFfMVmITI
“Together with our #SDF partners, we work to advance security & stability in NE Syria.”