Iranian-backed militias behind drone attack that killed six SDF fighters in Syria: SDF

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday said investigations have confirmed Iranian-backed armed groups were behind the suicide drone attack on the SDF.

The SDF said the initial investigation showed  “that the Iranian-backed militias were behind the one-way UAV terrorist attack against our forces in the Al-Omar oil field in Deir Ezzor.”

“The Iranian-backed militias used the Syrian regime-controlled areas in Deir Ezzor as a staging ground for the terrorist attack that targeted our Commando Academy and resulted in the martyrdom of six of our Commando fighters,” the SDF said.

Read More: Six SDF members killed in drone strike on US base in Deir ez-Zor: SDF

Six SDF members were killed in a drone attack on a U.S. base in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor governorate on Monday, in an attack by the so-called Islamic Resistance group.

The attack on SDF forces came two days after the U.S. military struck 85 targets in Iraq and Syria, killing at least 13 from Iran-backed groups in Syria and 16 in Iraq. 

"Six SDF commandos killed by drone suggests a deliberate aim to hit attack, possibly targeted on a base housing unit like at Tower 22 (in Jordan)," Alex Almeida, Middle East security analyst at energy consultancy Horizon Engage, told Kurdistan 24.

"Targeting of SDF commandos which US SOF work closely with also suggests some very deliberately probing of US red lines to see if deadly attacks on US partner forces, at a base hosting US personnel also triggers US retaliatory strikes."

Read More: SDF seizes weapons used for planning attacks on US base in Shadadi

The action followed a drone attack on Jan. 28 by an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group, resulting in the death of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan.

Since October, Iran-backed militias have attacked U.S. and coalition facilities over 150 times in Iraq and Syria.