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[AcademicSaucer]

US troops in northern Syria came under direct attack last week by Turkish-backed rebels, a military official with the coalition fighting ISIS told CNN Tuesday. The official said that while US troops returned fire there were no casualties on either side.

The coalition believes the attackers are part of the Turkish-backed opposition forces, a loose grouping of Arab and Turkmen fighters that have helped the Turkish military clear ISIS from the Turkish-Syria border area.

"Recent incidents have occurred in territories primarily under the control of Turkish-backed fighters. We are engaged with Ankara and other parties to address this danger," Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told CNN.

Many of these Turkey-supported forces originated as part of the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and they have also clashed with the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in a struggle for influence in the region.

While Turkey has in the past backed these fighters with tanks, airstrikes and special forces, the coalition official made it clear that Turkish soldiers were not involved in the recent attacks on US personnel.

But the official added that the coalition had delivered a demarche, or diplomatic protest, to Ankara following the attack on US forces by Turkey's allies.

The incident occurred around the same time US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis visited Turkey to meet with his Turkish counterpart and the country's President Recep Erdogan. There was no mention of any conversations about the incident in the official readout of the meeting provided by the Pentagon.

The recent clash comes weeks after attacks against US troops in the area were first reported and confirmed by coalition spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon. Following those attacks, Dillon said US and coalition troops "reserve the right to defend ourselves."

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/29/politics/us-troops-exchange-fire-turkish-rebels-syria/index.html

 

[Chmpocalypse]

Remember when those diplomats attacked Americans on American soil?

Is Turkey testing the waters regarding their influence and what they can get away with?

 

[Netherscourge]

Remember when those diplomats attacked Americans on American soil?

Is Turkey testing the waters regarding their influence and what they can get away with?

Considering the general chaos in region, I don't think they really knew who they were shooting at.

But who knows. Hard to trust anyone anymore.

 

[Slime]

This shouldn't be a surprise. Turkey's primary motivation in Syria has always been Erdogan wanting every Kurd dead.

 

[dragonelite]

Considering the general chaos in region, I don't think they really knew who they were shooting at.

But who knows. Hard to trust anyone anymore.

When your NATO Ally the US finances and arms people you consider terrorists for their own interests. Yeah i would also not trust anyone anymore.

 

[Kensation]

This is going well.

 

[hawkshockey11]

When your NATO Ally the US finances and arms people you consider terrorists for their own interests. Yeah i would also not trust anyone anymore.

As far as I am concerned, Turkish forces are more like terrorists than YPG is so Turkey can get fucked if that's the game they want to play.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

This is going well.

Really well

 

[louiedog]

Remember when those diplomats attacked Americans on American soil?

Is Turkey testing the waters regarding their influence and what they can get away with?

Yep. From just a couple of minutes ago: