On Monday, several members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed in a drone attack on a US base in the desert region of Deir ez-Zor. The target of the attack was a section within the base at the Al-Omar oil field east of Deir ez-Zor, where the SDF operates a training academy. The pro-Iranian group “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The SDF condemned the attack as an act of terrorism and on Tuesday released the names of the five martyrs from Deir ez-Zor. The statement said the treacherous attack was the work of militias supported by Iran and stationed in areas controlled by the Syrian regime in Deir ez-Zor. The killed fighters came from the area around al-Mayadin, west of the Euphrates, and two of them were brothers.

The SDF listed their names as follows: Ammar (Bilal Muhammad Al-Saud), Demhat (Abdul Razzaq Ayesh Al-Saud), Gelhat (Ammar Daoud Abdul Wahab), Zagros Kelase (Omar Daoud Abdul Wahab) and Omar (Muhammad Ahmed Sharabi).

The fighters were expelled from their home region and went to the autonomous region “in earlier times due to the injustice that happened to them at the hands of ISIS and the mercenaries of the Syrian regime”. The five joined the SDF to defend the unity of Syria against all external and internal threats.

The statement added: “The fighters took part in operations against the terrorist organization ISIS, showed great resistance in the Operation Strengthening Security in Deir ez-Zor, and fought with all dedication and sincerity.”

Military escalation between the US and Iran

On 28 January, a drone struck a US military outpost in Jordan, killing three American military personnel and injuring more than 40 others. Washington blamed Iranian-backed groups. The US responded on Friday with a series of strikes on targets in Syria and Iraq linked to Tehran and said it would continue retaliation.

Over 160 attacks on US bases

The US base at the Al-Omar oil field is part of a US-led coalition aimed at fighting the terrorist organization Islamic State. As part of this coalition, around 900 US soldiers are stationed in Syria and around 2,500 in Iraq. Since mid-October, there have been more than 165 attacks by Iran-aligned militias on bases in both countries where US Army soldiers and their allies are stationed. The Al-Omar base was also repeatedly attacked. The SDF maintains a Special Forces Command (Hêzên Komandos) training center at the base.