US retaliatory airstrikes in Syria killed 8 Iran-backed militants: Pentagon

The US airstrikes in Syria that targeted Iran-backed fighters last week killed eight militants, the Pentagon said for the first time on Thursday.

The fighters killed were associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) but were not Iranian, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.

Another six American troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) as a result of the drone and rocket attacks, Ryder said.

A series of tit-for-tat exchanges occurred between Iran-backed militias and US forces last Thursday following an initial drone strike on a US base, which killed an American contractor and wounded six other Americans.

CENTCOM then said another three attacks targeted US and Coalition forces in Syria on the evening of March 24th and March 25th. A main Syrian war monitoring group said US strikes killed at least 19 fighters.

President Joe Biden ordered the US military to hold off on a second round of attacks against the Iran-backed militias late Friday, the Wall Street Journal cited a senior US official as saying.

Asked about this, Ryder defended the US response. “We took action, we struck two IRGC-Quds Force targets… and that was proportionate action, and it was a deliberate action in order to send a message that US forces will not be attacked with impunity,” Ryder said. “We will continue to take appropriate action at a time and place of our choosing to ensure that our forces are protected.”