US sends convoy of military vehicles from Iraq to Syria
A US convoy of military vehicles has departed from Iraq towards Syria, Sky News Arabia reports, citing sources in the Iraqi security service.
According to the source, the convoy consists of more than 50 military vehicles, and has already crossed the border from Iraq to Syria.
The radio station Sham FM reported that a convoy of 55 American military trucks had arrived in the Hasakah province in north-eastern Syria. The convoy’s destination and objectives were unknown.
The transfer of US military vehicles is taking place amid a sharp deterioration of the situation in Syria. The coalition reported that US forces had come under fire near an outpost outside the city of Qamishli in the Hasakah province. Kurdish media wrote that the locals had refused to let the convoy pass, after which the US troops opened fire. The Russian Defense Ministry later reported that the Americans had opened fire near the village of Harbat-Hamo in the Hasakah province, killing a 14 year-old boy and injuring one other person.
There has also been persistent tension in Idlib, where Turkish and Syrian armed forces have clashed. On February 12, Turkish President Recep Erdogan accused the Assad regime and the Russian military which backs it of attacking civilians and shooting at Turkish soldiers. In response, Ankara shot down two Syrian helicopters. Damascus then accused Turkey of violating Syria’s sovereignty and assisting separatists.
On February 16 it was learned that Erdogan had discussed the situation in Syria during a phone call with US President Donald Trump. The leaders exchanged opinions on ways to put an end to the crisis in Idlib, and agreed that the actions of Assad’s army are unacceptable.