A base housing U.S. troops in northeastern Syria was struck by a rocket attack Sept. 18, according to a press release from U.S. Central Command.
No U.S. or coalition troops were hurt.
The Green Village base was hit by three 107mm rockets around 7:05 p.m. Sunday, local time, with a fourth rocket and rocket tubes found at the suspected launch point approximately 5 kilometers away. The attack failed to strike any U.S. or allied equipment, the press release revealed.
Bases housing U.S. troops have been targeted a few times of late, with coalition troops at Al-Tanf Garrison on the Iraq-Syria border surviving an attack on Aug. 15. A one-way aerial drone was shot down earlier that same day as well, officials with Operation Inherent Resolve said in a release, and later that same evening, multiple rounds of indirect fire struck in the vicinity of Green Village.
“Thankfully on this occasion, there were no casualties and no damage reported,” the OIR press release stated.
U.S. officials estimated the Aug. 24 and 25 retaliatory strikes killed two or three of the suspected militants responsible for the attacks. Some vehicles and equipment used to launch rockets were also destroyed, according to CENTCOM.
CENTCOM officials also revealed that the U.S. responded with another barrage of airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor using AH-64 Apache helicopters, AC-130 gunships and M777 artillery. Four enemy fighters were reportedly killed and seven rocket launchers were destroyed.
“We will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our service members,” CENTCOM boss Army Gen. Michael Kurilla said of the retaliatory strikes. “No group will strike at our troops with impunity. We will take all necessary measures to defend our people.”
Green Village, the base attacked Sunday, was in headlines recently after an Air Force explosive ordnance disposal technician carried out an insider attack in April.
Tech. Sgt. David Wayne Dezwaan, Jr., an active duty member of the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, was his squadron’s noncommissioned officer in charge of EOD equipment at the time.
Before it was known to be an insider threat, CNN reported that, on April 7, a perpetrator had set up military-grade explosives more powerful than a hand grenade near ammunition storage and showers at Green Village. No conflicting details have since been made public.
Four U.S. service members suffered blast injuries in the April attack. All have since returned to duty.
Rachel is a Marine Corps veteran and a master's candidate at New York University's Business & Economic Reporting program.
