The US army has announced that it has stepped up its military deployment in northeastern Syria, after several incidents pitting US forces against the Russian army in this region where Washington now maintains a limited presence.
US Army Central Command in the Middle East (Centcom) “deployed Sentinel radar, increased the frequency of air patrols over areas controlled by US forces, and deployed Bradley combat vehicles” in this controlled area by the United States and its Kurdish allies, Centcom spokesman Commander Bill Urban said in a statement.
The Bradleys withdrew from this area last October, on the decision of US President Donald Trump who tried in early 2019 to recall all US troops in Syria, before agreeing to leave a few hundred to keep them there. oil well.
According to an American official who requested anonymity, the number of armored vehicles sent as reinforcements did not exceed half a dozen, and “less than a hundred” troops were sent to maneuver them.
The Centcom spokesperson specified that these measures were intended to “defend the coalition forces in this area and ensure that they continue their mission (…) without interference”.
He did not mention Russia, but the US official told AFP that it was “a clear signal sent to Russia to respect the processes of deconfliction in the region, and to that Russia and other actors refrain from unprofessional and dangerous acts ”.
Several incidents in recent weeks have pitted the US military against Russian forces now deployed along the Turkish border, in accordance with an agreement with Ankara.
At the end of August, seven American soldiers were injured in a collision with a Russian vehicle. Videos posted on Twitter, apparently filmed by witnesses and the Russians themselves, showed Russian armor and helicopters attempting to block American vehicles and then force them out of the area.
“The United States is not seeking to enter into conflict with any other country in Syria, but it will defend coalition forces if necessary,” said Commander Urban.
The tanks were airborne from a base in Kuwait, anti-jihadist coalition spokesman Colonel Wayne Marotto said in another statement.
US troops and Russian mercenaries are often in contact in Syria, but clashes have been rare.
In February 2018, Russian mercenaries attacked a command post of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish allies of the United States, near Deir Ezzor.
American soldiers who were in the building alerted the coalition, which responded with an airstrike that killed between 100 and 200 Russian mercenaries.